The Government, through the Ministry of Education, has stepped up its plan to launch Kenya's first-ever Tea Academy to streamline the sector.
Education CS Ezekiel Machogu, in a statement dated Thursday, July 20, announced that the academy will also be used to bolster the growth of the industry.
Lipton Teas and Infusions Company, which has branches in Mombasa and Kericho, will spearhead the project in partnership with the State.
Machogu, Principal Secretary of University Education and Research, Beatrice Muganda, and the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA) Director Langat Kipkirui, held a meeting with the tea firm to discuss the modalities of the partnership.
However, it is unclear where the academy will be located, with tea farmers concentrated in 19 regions across the country, including Nakuru, Narok, Kericho, Bomet, Nyamira, and Kisii.
Other counties renowned for tea farming are Kakamega, Bungoma, Vihiga, Nandi, Elgeyo Marakwet, Trans-Nzoia, Kiambu, Murang’a, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Embu, Tharaka-Nithi, and Meru.
The academy is expected to uplift the livelihoods of roughly 650,000 small-scale tea farmers operating in Kenya if realised.
Currently, tea ranks among the highest foreign revenue generators contributing an estimated 23 per cent of total foreign exchange earnings in Kenya.
In 2022 alone, 535.04 million kilograms of tea were produced, with 410.26 million kilograms sold at the auction, an increase from the previous year's 388 kilograms.
Most of the tea was subsequently exported to Pakistan, Egypt, UAE, the UK, Yemen, Sudan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
In February 2023, the International Tea Committee (ITC) reported that Kenya continued to grow gradually and dominated first-world countries in producing and exporting luxurious black tea.
Kenya was the biggest exporter of tea worldwide after exporting 558 million kilograms in 2021, followed by China and Sri Lanka.
"China was the dominant player, as it produced a whopping 3 million tonnes of tea in 2021, almost half the global production of 6.45 million tonnes. Indian tea production stood at 1.3 million tonnes.
"Exports-wise, however, the picture is slightly different. Kenya was the world's largest tea exporter in 2021, having sold 558 million kilograms on the global markets, with China and Sri Lanka coming in at second and third places, with 369 million kilograms and 282 million kilograms of exports," read the report from International Tea Committee (ITC) at the time.
Despite Kenya leading in tea exports, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua warned that cartels had infiltrated the sector, limiting revenue growth.
In July 2023, while speaking at the closure of the two-day tea reforms summit in Kericho, the DP promised to initiate sweeping changes at Kenya Tea Development Agency to improve the welfare of farmers.
"Let nobody think this was a talk show. This is the beginning of restoring the dignity of the farmer. We must succeed,” Gachagua emphasised and even threatened to forward the names of the cartels to investigative agencies.
