Kericho Tea Farmers Eye Bonuses of Up to Sh34 per Kilo as Factories Prepare Payments
Tea farmers attached to factories across Kericho County are set to receive annual bonuses ranging from Sh16 to Sh34 per kilogramme for the 2025/2026 financial year, according to a bonus schedule circulating among growers.
Momul Tea Factory has the highest listed rate at Sh34 per kilogramme, followed by Kapkatet and Tebesonik at Sh25 each. Tirgaga is listed at Sh22 per kilogramme, while Motigo, Oleng and Chelal are each indicated at Sh20.
The schedule lists Tegat and Toror at Sh19 per kilogramme and Litein at Sh18. Kapkoros is listed at Sh17, while Kapset, Rorok, Mogogo, Boito and Kobel are each shown at Sh16.
The amount received by an individual farmer would depend on the quantity of qualifying green leaf delivered during the financial year. A farmer with 1,000 kilogrammes of deliveries at a rate of Sh34 per kilogramme, for example, would receive Sh34,000 under the listed rate.
The figures come as the government continues efforts to improve earnings and efficiency in Kenya’s smallholder tea sector.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has identified farmer payments as one of the challenges affecting the subsector. Its draft Kenya Tea Industry Policy notes concerns over the level and regularity of monthly and annual bonus payments, which can affect farmers’ ability to sustain production.
Tea payment regulations also link monthly payments to proceeds generated from tea sales. Under the Tea Registration and Licensing Regulations, 2024, the monthly green-leaf price is based on 50 percent of monthly tea-sale proceeds divided by the quantity of green leaf delivered during the month.
The remaining amount due from annual proceeds is paid to growers in accordance with the Tea Act.
The government has in recent years increased consultations with farmers and tea factory management as it seeks to address payment concerns, improve productivity and strengthen the tea value chain.
Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe held consultations with chairpersons of KTDA-managed smallholder tea factories from the West of Rift region in Kericho in May 2025. He said reforms were needed to revitalise the sector, raise productivity and improve farmers’ incomes through measures including value addition and stronger extension services.
The government has also encouraged farmers to improve tea quality to increase the value of Kenyan tea in international markets. During the Kericho consultations, Kagwe urged growers to focus on quality harvesting, particularly the two leaves and a bud.
More recently, Agriculture Principal Secretary Dr Kipronoh Ronoh said reforms were continuing to improve efficiency, marketing and returns to farmers.
In September, Ronoh said scientific tea testing was ready for full implementation, while a Digital Green Leaf Payment System was expected to improve transparency and efficiency in payments.
The government is also seeking to reduce production costs. The Ministry has said subsidised fertiliser is available to small-scale farmers at Sh2,000 for a 50-kilogramme bag, with KTDA expected to support distribution and farmer sensitisation ahead of the rains.
The listed bonus rates are therefore significant for tea-growing households across Kericho as farmers await annual payments. However, the Sh16 to Sh34 per kilogramme figures remain subject to confirmation by the relevant factory boards, KTDA or the Tea Board of Kenya, as the factory-by-factory schedule has not been independently confirmed in the government information provided.
