Tea farmers protest govt’s plan to deduct their earnings
By Wangari Njuguna, December 2, 2025Murang’a tea farmers have opposed the government’s proposal to increase taxes on the produce as well as the payment through the Direct Settlement System (DSS).
This comes amid claims that this will be exploiting them and cutting their returns, given that tea is one of the highly taxed products in the country.
Gatunguru tea factory chairman Mwangi Kaguma, speaking during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on Monday, December 1, 2025, said tea is the only crop that has been supporting the livelihoods of thousands of farmers in the country, but the government seem to be making deliberate efforts to cripple the sector.
“The government should fund its own institutions because we are paying taxes, and it should not add extra levies to the farmers. This is a way of siphoning the farmers’ hard-earned money, and we are not going to allow it,” Kaguma said.
The farmers have threatened to uproot the tea bushes should the government go ahead to implement the proposals contained in the Tea Bill 2023.
The bill, which is currently in the national assembly is proposes a 1 per cent levy on the tea sales to help manage the institutions and an additional deduction of Ksh3.85 per kilo of processed tea.
Moreover, on consolidating the tea earnings in one account, Kagumo said it will deny the farmers the extra income generated from foreign exchange.
The money gained, he said, helps boost the farmers’ income and losing it will mean less money in their pockets.
“Last year, KTDA got foreign gain of Ksh17.2 billion, which is a lot of money, and this is what we stand to lose should the idea of consolidating the money be implemented,” he warned.
Call to action
He urged the members of parliament not to pass the bill and instead fight for the interests of the team farmers.
“We expect the leaders to stand firm and fight for the rights of the farmers in the country because these laws are punitive,” he remarked.
“Thousands of farmers in the country rely on the crop for a livelihood, but a majority are still wallowing in poverty because of the low returns.”
Kagumo also lamented over increased tea hawking in the area, which he said, if not curbed it might have adverse effects on the sector.
He pointed out that the factory’s tea production went down from 23 million kilograms to 17 million kilograms, attributing the drop to tea hawking, where some farmers have been selling to private processors.
” This is such a huge decline, and we are urging the relevant authorities to look into the matter,” he said.