CS Kagwe Announces Tea Hawking Prohibition Amidst Farmers’ Protest
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe vowed on Wednesday to put an end to tea hawking, a practice that costs the tea industry billions of shillings each year.
Kagwe announced that the government would take action against tea hawkers.
He informed the Senate that this would assure the passage of required legislation and the enforcement of the law.
“Effective this week, or effective today, the hawking of tea across the country, Mr Speaker, will be stopped so that farmers can deliver their tea directly and to ensure that quality standards are met,” Kagwe stated.
“It is our intention to curb tea hawking malpractices, which lead to the processing of low-quality tea leaves,” he added.
“This will be achieved by enforcing the Tea Registration and Licences Regulations, 2025.”
The power or the regulatory framework which the Senator refer to, actually are anchored in AFA Act of 2013 Sec. 43 and it is the one that actually allows the CS for agriculture not Mutahi Kagwe, to make the pronouncements that I have made. ~ @Mutahi__Kagwe #BungeLiveSEN. https://t.co/kFhleb0heM pic.twitter.com/B9lSVu8Iud
— Mzalendo (@MzalendoWatch) March 12, 2025
Tea hawking refers to the practice of independent tea processors and farmers purchasing green tea leaves directly from farmers, bypassing the traditional tea factory system.
According to the Tea Act, registered growers must supply their tea leaves to their designated factories.
Tea hawking disturbs the system and supply chain, reducing the quality of tea on the market.
Tea hawking, also known as green leaf hawking, prioritises quantity above quality, resulting in lower tea auction prices for farmers.
For example, the Tea Board of Kenya estimates that small-scale producers will lose around Ksh53.5 billion due to malpractice in 2023.
The vice is especially common in the Rift Valley region, with Bomet and Kericho counties having the highest rate of hawking at 42%.
Kisii and Nyamira counties (Region 6) followed closely behind, with 36% of their green leaf hawked.
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While issuing the new directive, Kagwe stated that the Tea Board of Kenya will be in charge of enforcing the restriction, particularly with regard to independent tea processors.
“We have also instructed the Tea Board to take effective action to control this issue and to ensure that independent processors buy from registered farmers so that the hawking business can be brought to an end,” Kagwe affirmed.
Green leaf hawking is prohibited under Section 6(4) of the Tea Act 2020. According to the regulations, a farmer who sells tea to an unregistered manufacturer faces a fine of Ksh100,000 or six months in prison.
Furthermore, if a factory purchases tea from a farmer who is not registered with that business, the fine is Ksh5 million or three years in prison, and the vehicle used to transport the tea may be forfeited to the government.
