Mogaka Seeks Answers For West Mugirango Farmers
In his view, bonuses should come from profits or surpluses generated by the business, not from borrowing that leaves factories with unsustainable obligations.
By Elizabeth Angira
West Mugirango MP Stephen Mogaka has asked Parliament to extend its ongoing inquiry into the tea sector to cover the Kebirigo and Gianchore tea factories in Nyamira County, saying farmers in his constituency are still waiting for answers about their earnings.
Speaking in the National Assembly, Mogaka described the tea question as a perennial problem that has confronted elected leaders again and again.
“I stood because this tea issue is a perennial problem,” he told the House, explaining that farmers regularly approach their representatives to ask why Parliament has not intervened more decisively.
He asked that the response to the inquiry explicitly include the factories serving West Mugirango, so that he can give growers a clear account of what is affecting their pay.
Mogaka also questioned how tea factories are managed financially, citing allegations that some directors are taking on debt to fund annual bonuses.
In his view, bonuses should come from profits or surpluses generated by the business, not from borrowing that leaves factories with unsustainable obligations.
He added that some aggrieved parties have already gone to court over disputes in the sector.
His remarks come as the national debate over uneven bonus payments heats up. On October 9, the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) announced the release of the 2025/2026 second payments alongside September monthly payments.
Publicly reported factory declarations showed bonus rates ranging from about KSh12 to KSh50 per kilogramme.
The rates differ from factory to factory and should not be read as a uniform national payment.
The debate also follows a Tea Board of Kenya audit reported in August, which raised questions about borrowing by KTDA-managed factories.
According to the report, 69 factories listed in the audit’s loan schedule had outstanding balances totalling KSh34.05 billion as at December 31, 2025. The audit flagged concerns about commodity loans, tea-stock valuations and the link between borrowing and the financing of second payments.
KTDA chairman Enos Njeru has disputed the suggestion that factory borrowing should generally be seen as borrowing to pay bonuses.
He argues that the facilities also support operations, machinery and expansion projects. Parliament has looked into the issue before.
In November 2025, the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock held a public inquiry into tea pricing, visiting factories and consulting farmers in Nyamira and other tea-growing counties.
The inquiry sought to establish why bonus payments differ so sharply between regions, and what drives factory performance and farmer returns.
For Mogaka, the immediate priority is making sure West Mugirango farmers are part of that process and get a substantive reply to their grievances.
Although agriculture is a devolved function, he maintained that Parliament’s continued attention to the matter gives him an opportunity to press for answers on their behalf.
The concerns around Kebirigo and Gianchore put fresh focus on factory-level financial disclosures, the basis on which bonuses are declared, and the accountability of those entrusted with managing farmers’ investments.
The key question for growers is whether the final parliamentary response will explain the factories’ financial position, clarify how bonuses are determined and set out measures to protect future earnings.
For farmers whose livelihoods depend on tea, the demand is simple: transparent accounts, accountable management and clear answers on how the value of their produce becomes income.
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