By the 254.ke Newsroom
KTDA tea bonus rates for the 2025/2026 season range from Sh12.50 to Sh50 per kilogramme of green leaf, depending on which factory a farmer supplies, according to Pulse Kenya. The money was released on Friday, October 9, and farmers could withdraw it from Monday, October 12, KTDA Holdings chairman Enos Njeru said. Rates are down at most factories compared with last year, and a High Court case in Nairobi is now testing how the second payment was calculated.
What is the KTDA tea bonus rate for 2026?
There is no single national rate. Each factory board now declares its own second payment, and KTDA has warned that a consolidated bonus list circulating online was fake, Pulse reported on October 9. The figures below are factory-level declarations reported by two outlets.
| Factory | 2025/26 bonus (per kg) | Previous figure reported | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rukuriri | Sh50 | Sh57.50 last year | Food Business MEA, Pulse |
| Ngere | Sh48 | Sh53.10 | Food Business MEA |
| Gathuthi | Sh45 | Sh56 | Food Business MEA |
| Gitugi | Sh40.50 | Not stated | Food Business MEA |
| Momul | Sh40.50 | Sh32.50 in 2025 (an increase) | Food Business MEA |
| Chinga | Sh36 | Not stated | Food Business MEA |
| Mataara | Sh33.50 | Not stated | Food Business MEA |
| Iriaini | Sh33 | Not stated | Food Business MEA |
| Kanyenyaini (Murang’a) | Sh30 | Sh33.50 last year, Sh51 in 2024 | Pulse |
| Kaptumo | Sh12.50 | Not stated | Pulse |
Pulse describes these as factory-level declarations, not a national rate. The lists are partial: KTDA has consolidated its 77 factories into 54 units, and most are not shown here. Check your own factory’s notice before assuming a figure.
Why are tea bonuses lower this year?
Food Business MEA, citing industry experts, points to two pressures: shipping disruption and higher fuel costs linked to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and a recently introduced 0.8 per cent export levy. Farmers supplied 1.0947 billion kg of green leaf in the first 11 months of the season, down from 1.1444 billion kg a year earlier, the outlet reported.
Njeru said factory boards declared rates after reviewing revenue and expenditure, including green-leaf payments, electricity, management fees, fuel and salaries. He called on the government to scrap the levy, saying it raises the cost of Kenyan tea and has led some buyers to cut or halt purchases.
The squeeze follows a weaker 2024/25 year. Pulse reported on October 12 that total bonus payouts that year were Sh69.8 billion, roughly Sh20 billion lower than the Sh89.6 billion paid the year before. Factory borrowing has also been under scrutiny; our earlier explainer on the KTDA factory debt audit sets out what the Tea Board found.
Is the Sh56 per kilo claim accurate?
That is disputed. At the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Summit on October 8, President William Ruto said reforms had raised farmers’ average earnings to Sh56 per kg of green leaf. Pulse says the Tea Board of Kenya chief executive confirmed the figure.
Joseph Rono, spokesperson for the Tea Small Scale Farmers Association, disputed it. If the regular monthly payment averaged Sh26 and the second payment averaged Sh17, he said, the total would be “closer to Sh41 – 43 per KG, not Sh56.” We could not independently verify either calculation.
What is the court case over the second payment?
According to Pulse, the High Court in Nairobi has allowed smallholder growers from Kisii and Nyamira to start judicial review proceedings over the 2025/2026 second payment. The growers cite alleged discrimination, disputed calculations and possible breaches of the Tea Act. Pulse stresses that permission to proceed is not a finding that the formula is unlawful. This detail comes from a single outlet and we have not seen the court order.
How and when can farmers access the money?
- KTDA says funds were disbursed on Friday, October 9, and were available from Monday, October 12, during normal banking hours.
- More than 700,000 small-scale growers are expected to benefit, Pulse reported.
- Smallholders under KTDA supply about 60 per cent of national production; multinational estates, mainly in Kericho, supply about 40 per cent.
- Rates are declared per factory, so farmers should confirm with their factory or KTDA office.
Auction prices have been firmer than the bonus mood suggests. Sacco Review reported that KTDA-managed factories sold 2.8 million kg for about Sh1.04 billion at the Mombasa auction in the week reported on October 15, up from Sh950 million for 2.6 million kg a week earlier. Auction proceeds are not bonus payments, however.
Frequently asked questions
Is the KTDA bonus the same for every farmer?
No. Each factory declares its own rate, so a farmer’s bonus depends on the factory they supply and how many kilos of green leaf they delivered.
Which factory paid the highest bonus?
Among the factories reported, Rukuriri’s Sh50 per kg was the highest, while Kaptumo’s Sh12.50 was the lowest reported by Pulse.
Why did the bonus fall?
Industry experts cited by Food Business MEA blame shipping disruption, higher fuel costs and the 0.8 per cent export levy. KTDA’s chairman has asked the government to remove the levy.
Can farmers challenge their bonus?
Some already are. Growers in Kisii and Nyamira have been allowed to start judicial review over the second payment, per Pulse. For the official framework, see the Tea Board of Kenya.
Related reading: protests over bonus cuts at South Rift tea factories and how subsidised fertiliser is affecting tea farmers. Figures are as reported by the cited outlets as of October 21, 2026.
