Kenya and Tea Production

By: Sophie Warth

        Kenya is one of the four top-producing tea countries in the world. Tea production began in Kenya in the 1920s when the British brought tea plants to the region.^[1] Today, nearly 3 million Kenyans, or 10% of the country's population, rely on the tea industry for their livelihoods. Tea production flourishes in Kenya because of its conducive climate. Production clusters in the Highlands in Kericho, Sotik, Kissi, and Nyeri, where red volcanic soil is rich in nutrients for tea cultivation.^[2] 70% of its tea production comes directly from smallholder farmers with less than 8 hectares of land. These farmers are under the jurisdiction of the Kenya Tea Development Agency, whereas large tea plantations fall under the jurisdiction of the Kenya Tea Growers Association.The Kenya Tea Development Authority came out of the colonial British Special Crop Development Authority, showing a modern policy that echoes colonial structures.

        Compared to the literature reviews on the three other countries in this resource collection, English-language scholarship on Kenya is scarcer. I found very few academic articles on Kenya’s tea sector, and even fewer about the women who comprise the majority of its laborers. More news articles appeared in my search, which I highlight here to show the current global impact of these women, in the 4th highest country in tea production in the world. This gap indicates a need for more research on Kenya’s tea sector, especially given that its roots in British colonialism echoes that of India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

Photo Citation:

Forman, Harrison. Photography. “Kenya, Plants Growing at Tea Plantation.” Prior to 1961. Kenya. From University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries. Accessed February 17, 2026. https://collections.lib.uwm.edu/digital/collection/agsafrica/id/14178/rec/57.