Plans Underway to Establish Agriculture Police Unit, says Kagwe
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mtahi Kagwe addressing Tea stakeholders in Mombasa. (Photo By Mwakwaya Raymond)
By Harrison Kivisu
Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com
Agriculture cabinet secretary Mutahi Kagwe has disclosed government plans to introduce an agricultural police unit to safeguard the tea sector.
According to him talks between his ministry and the ministry of interior ministry cabinet secretary Onesmus Kipchumba Murkomen are ongoing to set up a special police unit just like that of Tourism Police Unit.
The CS noted that the government aims to instill mechanisms to safeguard investments in the tea value chain players, especially after the recent invasion of tea plantations and factories by members of the public
He explained that the proposed tea levy shall allocate funds for the establishment of a Common Tea Market Development Fund which would be used to market and promote Kenya tea for local and international markets.
The CS noted that the challenges facing the sector needed swift ironing out so as to promote a streamlined value chain from the farmers to distributors.
Kagwe, speaking in Mombasa during a consultative meeting with stakeholders on March 13, 2025, urged the Ministry should pursue the waiver of taxes and duties on packaging materials and tea machinery with the national treasury.
The meeting brought together Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA), Kenya Tea Growers Association (KTGA), Independent Tea Producers (ITP), tea traders and Members of East African Tea Trade Association (EATTA) at the Tea Trade Centre.
He noted that unregulated tea sales disrupted the established factory systems leading to the production of low-quality tea that ultimately lowering prices at the Mombasa tea auction.
“Effective immediately, tea hawking across the country will be stopped to ensure that farmers deliver their tea directly to factories, where quality standards can be upheld ”
The CS stated that tea hawkers and unscrupulous traders brought in substandard tea which affected the overall quality of the final product at auction.
“One hawker or trader who delivers tea that does not meet the required standard spoils the whole batch, affecting prices and the reputation of our tea globally.”
