NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenya’s tea sector is facing a defining moment as renewed diplomatic talks with Iran raise hopes of reopening a key export market that collapsed in 2023, the Green Thinking Action Party (GTAP) has said.
In a statement issued on Thursday, GTAP warned that years of regulatory failures, weak oversight and alleged cartel activity have left millions of tea farmers vulnerable, calling on the national government to move swiftly to restore confidence in the sector.
Tea, once Kenya’s leading foreign exchange earner, has steadily lost ground, placing rural livelihoods and county economies under strain.
GTAP said the impact goes beyond agriculture, arguing that instability in the tea industry undermines household incomes, local economies and national confidence in governance.
The party pointed to the 2023 ban by Iran — then one of Kenya’s largest tea buyers — following a controversial consignment linked to an Iranian firm with alleged connections to senior Kenyan officials.
The ban dealt a heavy blow to farmers, cutting off a major market and worsening payment delays.
“Farmers must not continue paying the price for policy delays, weak oversight and market opacity,” GTAP said, adding that the cost of inaction now outweighs the cost of reform.
With Kenya and Iran now holding discussions on reopening the market, GTAP said the window must be handled with “urgency, discipline and integrity” to avoid repeating past mistakes.
Five-point reform agenda
The party outlined a five-point action plan, beginning with immediate measures to stabilise farmer payments.
Within 30 days, GTAP wants the government to publish and enforce a national tea payment timeline, ensure transparency on factory-level deductions and activate emergency cash-flow protection mechanisms in affected tea-growing regions.
“No tea farmer should bear losses arising from fraud, delayed payments, policy failures or market access breakdowns,” the statement said.
GTAP also called for a mandatory export integrity and traceability programme within 90 days, requiring all tea exports to be fully traceable from factory to buyer, with verified quality certification as a condition for clearance.
To tackle misconduct in the supply chain, the party urged the publication of a public integrity register of all licensed tea exporters within 30 days, alongside zero-tolerance enforcement against firms involved in adulteration, misrepresentation or payment defaults.
Further, GTAP proposed the creation of a public Tea Sector Transparency Dashboard detailing payments, deductions, export volumes, prices and enforcement actions, coupled with an independent forensic audit of factory deductions and exporter conduct.
As part of market recovery efforts, the party wants the government to appoint a high-level Tea Market Recovery Envoy within 14 days to restore buyer confidence and reopen blocked markets.
Within six months, GTAP says tea should be formally designated a Strategic Livelihood Sector supported by a permanent inter-agency oversight council.
GTAP said it would monitor and publicly report on progress, warning that failure by state institutions to act would trigger parliamentary, administrative and judicial action in the public interest.
“Our message to tea farmers is simple: we hear you, we respect you and we stand with you,” the party said, insisting that fair systems, predictable payments and protected markets are essential to honour farmers’ contribution to the economy.
