- Chebut Tea Factory in Nandi has received a KSh79.1 million government grant for modernisation.
- The funding will upgrade machinery, improve processing efficiency and enhance tea quality and value addition.
- Mutahi Kagwe urged farmers to maintain quality plucking standards and support efforts to develop specialty teas and new markets.
Tea farmers in Nandi County have reason to celebrate after the government handed over a KSh79.1 million grant towards the modernisation of Chebut Tea Factory, a move set to boost processing capacity and improve returns for growers.
Tea Board of Kenya (TBK) Chief Executive Officer Willy K Mutai joined Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development Mutahi Kagwe, Nandi Deputy Governor Dr. Yulita Mitei Cheruiyot, TBK Chairman Ndung’u Gathinji and other industry stakeholders at the factory for the presentation.
The grant will fund the upgrade of factory machinery, with officials saying the investment is expected to improve processing efficiency, enhance tea quality and strengthen value addition for the benefit of farmers.
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Speaking during the event, Kagwe called on farmers to uphold good agricultural practices, saying quality tea production begins on the farm. He urged growers to observe proper plucking standards and deliver green leaf promptly to ensure the best outcomes at the factory.
The CS also stressed the need for greater value addition in Kenya’s tea sector. He said the country should focus on developing specialty teas, opening new markets and strengthening Kenyan tea brands, while attracting investment that keeps more value from the crop within the country.
The Chebut grant forms part of a wider Government push to modernise tea factories across the country, with similar interventions already rolled out at other facilities in the tea growing regions.
By Benedict Aoya
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