Kenya is stepping up efforts to make its tea industry more resilient to climate change while increasing the value retained by farmers and local businesses.
Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the country is accelerating research into high-yielding, climate-resilient tea varieties that can withstand rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns without compromising the quality of Kenyan tea.
The strategy also places greater emphasis on local value addition, with the government looking at ways to expand domestic processing, manufacturing and packaging. Reducing the cost of locally produced packaging could help Kenyan companies sell more branded tea instead of relying heavily on bulk exports.
Technology is another part of the proposed transformation. Kenya is exploring the responsible use of artificial intelligence, precision agriculture and mechanisation to improve productivity and respond to labour challenges in the sector.
The country is also seeking to diversify tea products to respond to changing consumer preferences. Opportunities include specialty, green and iced teas, alongside flavoured products. Recent initiatives by tea factories demonstrate the growing focus on this segment, with Rukuriri Tea Factory in Embu introducing packaged black, ginger and lemon teas for local and international markets.
The push comes as the government continues investing in factory modernisation and value addition. In September, the government announced Sh10 billion for modernising smallholder tea factories, supporting value addition and mechanisation, with the stated aim of increasing farmer earnings.
The broader objective is to move Kenya’s tea industry beyond dependence on bulk commodity exports toward higher-value products, stronger branding, technology-driven production and climate resilience. The success of these measures will ultimately depend on how effectively additional value reaches tea-growing households.
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