The Mountain Journal
Kenya’s premium tea is poised for high prices next year as the buyers flood searching for the teas at the Mombasa Tea Auction and factories..
The volumes of tea made at the auction are reduced owing to the emerging aspects related to the climatic change, pruning of the tea bushes, with the situation expected to change in January.
The revelation of the better market for the premium tea opens a new chapter despite the reduced bonus occasioned in the year 2025/2026 that followed the challenges of the tea levy, disruption of the shipping routes after Iran/ US/ Israel war in Strait of Harmoz, , high cost of fuel, hostility in some buying nations, among other factors.
The market analysts explain that the rush to place orders also coincides with the forthcoming general election scheduled for August next year.
Research indicates that from July absorption of the KTDA factories in the market has been at above 75 percent weekly, a trend that will continue to June next year.
Last week, Kenya marketed 5,046, 153 kgs through the Mombasa Auction, with 2,712,903 kgs offered by KTDA managed factories as production continues to reduce with expectation for increased production in January.
East African Tea Trade Association (EATTA), Managing Director George Omuga affirms that next year, being an electioneering period, buyers will buy the stocks up to June, thus the need for the removal of the bottle necks to save the tea industry and ensure the farmers reap the best.
Indicators point that premium tea from the East of Rift reap better for the premium teas as it is being sought by the buyers for their markets around the globe.
“ The present scenario of the low production of green leaf was experienced in the tea sector 20 years ago, but there is an expected boom following the flocking of the buyers scouting for tea from the market for the year 2026/2027. It will be followed by a break where the orders will be frozen,” said Mr Omuga.
KTDA Holding National Chairman Enos Njeru calls for the scrapping of the tea levy of Sh2.28 per kg of made tea (0.8 percent), saying it remains punitive, as it will continue impacting negatively on the marketing of the premium teas.
The tea sector, Mr Njeru said, recommends it should be amended to charge at volumes as per kilogramme was expensive to the farmers and will erode the gains
“ It is evident that premium teas from the East of Rift failed to fetch market between May and July in the year 2025/2026, as the buyers moved to seek alternative low-priced commodities in the western and in Rwanda for the unlevied teas,” Mr Njeru.
Peter Kamore, a tea value chain expert, attributes this to buyers placing orders through the Mombasa Tea Auction and factories’ direct-sale platform as of July 1, a trend that will proceed up to June 30 next year in search of quality teas.
“Afterwards they will freeze the orders in the year 2028/2029, thus requiring the farmers to utilise the olden chance to recover the loss made in the past year,” said Kamore.
Former factory director Nahason Ngari said demand for Kenya’s tea follows the quality, but faced low supply of green leaf that began in May with a prospective to end in January 2027.
“Kenya’s tea industry has been built through relationships with buyers in the Middle East, US, Europe, China and Asia; thus, there is a need to protect it from any form of disruption,” said Ngari, a former director at Mununga tea factory.
