Wamuchomba questions Kenya’s Singapore dream amid tea sector woes
By Kiprono Keileb, December 7, 2025Githunguri Member of Parliament Gathoni Wamuchomba has warned that Kenya’s long-standing ambition to transform its economy into a Singapore-like success story is unrealistic unless the country urgently protects its tea sector from what she describes as extreme taxation and harmful legislative proposals.
In a strong statement on Sunday, December 7, 2025, Wamuchomba said the tea industry, one of Kenya’s biggest foreign-exchange earners, is being pushed to the brink by excessive taxes, undermining its ability to sustain the economy or support farmers.
“Without dollars coming into Kenya from the Tea sector, the Road to the Dreamland ‘Singapore’ is just a fallacy,” she wrote.
Tax regime
She argued that the government cannot hope to grow the economy while the country’s main export crop struggles to survive under 42 separate taxes and deductions.
“How do you succeed when you expose a single crop like TEA to 42 taxes and deductions?” she asked.
Wamuchomba said she is alarmed by the Tea Amendment Bill proposals that introduce additional levies on a sector she believes is already overburdened. She described the move as a setback that could erase decades of progress made by farmers.
“When I see the Tea Amendment Bill proposals seeking to introduce new levies on Kenyan tea to already overtaxed farmers, I only conclude that illusions are also dreams,” she said.
The MP accused Parliament of failing to defend farmers and instead operating in the interests of the Executive.
“Kenyan parliamentary space is captured and only caters for the needs of the executive. I cry for my motherland,” she stated.
Wamuchomba went further, outlining what she would do differently if she ever became president. She said Kenya must stop relying on imported agricultural products when it can grow enough for local consumption.
“When I become president, I will ban all imported coffee, tea, milk and eggs into Kenya. I will ensure all farmers produce sufficient for our domestic consumption,” she said.
She questioned why Kenya continues to import instant coffee while producing high-quality raw beans and wondered how countries without a single coffee tree have become major exporters to Kenya.
“How do we import instant coffee into Kenya, yet we produce the raw coffee? How can a country that doesn’t have a single coffee tree become a leading exporter of coffee to Kenya and globally? Am I dreaming?” she posed.
Her remarks come as tea farmers across the country raise concerns over shrinking earnings and the rising cost of production.