President William Ruto emphasized the need to brand Kenya’s tea in order to enhance its visibility and competitiveness in the global market. As a top foreign exchange earner generating over €1 billion (Sh100 billion) annually, Kenya’s tea industry could benefit from branding initiatives aimed at labeling it with a mark of origin.
Ruto highlighted the importance of brand sustainability in a competitive business environment, urging industry players to prioritize the development of the Kenyan tea product. During a meeting at State House Nairobi with Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) factory chairmen and directors, the President expressed dissatisfaction with the current practice of selling unprocessed tea, which he believes denies farmers the opportunity to fetch the best prices in the market.
“We are the largest tea producer in the world, yet we don’t have a Kenyan tea brand and, therefore, our product gets lower prices than countries that produce less than we do,” said Ruto.
He told the leaders of tea factories to set up common user facilities, adding he expects the country to be exporting at least 60 percent of processed and branded tea in between three and five years.
“Last year, we did away with taxes on packaging materials for tea. We, therefore, have to expand common user facilities and add value to our tea,” Ruto said.
He added: “We cannot continue exporting our tea in sacks. In three years, we must export 60 per cent of value-added and branded tea. KTDA and the Tea Board of Kenya must work together in branding our tea.”
In response to concerns raised by sector leaders, President Ruto committed to operationalizing the Tea Tribunal within a timeframe of three months. Acknowledging the importance of fair compensation, Ruto concurred with leaders regarding the need for tea factories that have invested in hydro-power stations to receive payment for the power they sell to Kenya Power and Lighting Company. Additionally, he announced plans for the Kenya Forest Service and KTDA to establish an agreement, enabling tea factories to participate in the nation’s 15 billion tree-planting initiative. Furthermore, under this agreement, tea factories will have the opportunity to harvest trees from various forests for their wood fuel requirements.
