CS Mutahi Kagwe Assesses Progress in Kenya’s Tea Sector at Chai Trading Warehouses

Agriculture and Livestock Development CS Mutahi Kagwe visited the Chai Trading Company warehouses in Miritini, Mombasa, to assess progress in addressing challenges in Kenya’s tea sector. As a subsidiary of KTDA responsible for marketing Kenyan tea globally, Chai Trading plays a key role in enhancing the industry’s global footprint.

Commending the contractor building the Common User Facility at Chai Trading, the CS noted that the project will be completed ahead of schedule. He also inspected ongoing extensions to the warehouse infrastructure—an initiative set to reduce farmers’ costs on storage.

The visit highlighted advanced systems and processes being implemented to improve tea quality, volume, traceability, and value, strengthening brand Kenya’s competitiveness in global markets and maximizing farmers’ earnings.

Significant progress has been made in clearing unsold tea. Following a presidential directive, 97% of the 106 million kilograms of surplus tea at the Mombasa auction has been sold, leaving only 3.7 million kilograms. New strategies are underway to ensure timely sales for better returns.

CS Kagwe underscored the importance of collaboration in overcoming challenges in the tea trade, including the formation of a Tea Council to unite stakeholders in advancing the shared goal of increasing farmers’ incomes.

CS Kagwe was accompanied by KTDA Chair Chege Kirundi and CEO Wilson Muthaura, TBK CEO Willy Mutai.