Enos Njeru: Driving KTDA’s Value-Addition Agenda to Put Farmers at the Centre

Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) National Chairman Mr Enos Njeru is championing stronger collaboration between the tea sector and the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) ecosystem as part of efforts to expand value addition, unlock new markets and increase opportunities for smallholder tea farmers.

In a recent engagement with **State Department for MSMEs Principal Secretary Susan Mang’eni**, Njeru explored opportunities for deeper collaboration between KTDA and the MSME sector, with a focus on enterprise development, innovation and stronger participation of small businesses in the tea value chain.

The engagement reflects an important shift in Kenya’s tea industry, where greater emphasis is being placed on moving beyond the traditional export of bulk tea towards products that capture more value before reaching consumers.

Njeru emphasised the need to build stronger linkages that enable small enterprises to participate meaningfully in the tea value chain while ensuring that the ultimate beneficiary remains the smallholder farmer.

The KTDA chairman also presented the PS with new value-added tea products from **Rukuriri Tea Factory**, namely Kenyan Premium Tea Bags, Kenyan Premium Ginger Tea Bags and Kenyan Premium Lemon Tea Bags.

The products demonstrate the potential of Kenyan tea factories to move further into processing, branding and packaging, allowing the country to market tea products directly to consumers in both domestic and international markets.

For Njeru, this represents the direction the tea sector must continue pursuing.

Kenya has long been recognised globally for the quality of its tea, but value addition provides an opportunity to ensure that the country captures a greater share of the value generated from its agricultural produce.

Instead of exporting predominantly bulk commodity tea and leaving significant stages of processing and branding to other markets, value-added Kenyan products can take the country's tea directly to consumers in ready-to-use formats.

The development of products such as premium tea bags, ginger tea and lemon tea also demonstrates the possibilities of responding to changing consumer preferences.

Njeru's emphasis on value addition places the smallholder farmer at the heart of this transformation.

The chairman has consistently stressed that every intervention in the tea value chain should ultimately translate into better opportunities and greater value for farmers who produce the crop.

This farmer-centred approach is particularly significant given the critical role played by smallholder farmers in Kenya's tea industry.

By strengthening collaboration between KTDA and the MSME sector, there is potential to create opportunities for smaller enterprises involved in areas such as packaging, logistics, marketing, technology, processing and other support services.

Such linkages can help create a more inclusive value chain in which enterprises of different sizes participate while contributing to the growth of the tea economy.

The engagement with PS Mang’eni therefore goes beyond institutional discussions. It points to the importance of connecting agricultural production with entrepreneurship, innovation and markets.

MSMEs are an important part of Kenya's economy, and stronger integration with established agricultural value chains can create new opportunities for businesses while supporting farmers and consumers.

Njeru's presentation of the Rukuriri products provided a practical illustration of what value addition can achieve.

From the farm to the factory, and from the factory to the consumer, every stage presents an opportunity to create additional economic value.

The challenge is to ensure that this additional value is reflected throughout the chain, including in the returns and opportunities available to farmers.

The **Farm-to-Cup** philosophy promoted by Njeru captures this approach. It places the farmer at the centre while recognising that the journey of tea does not end when the green leaf leaves the farm.

Processing, packaging, branding, marketing and distribution can all contribute to determining the final value of the product.

A stronger domestic value-addition industry could also support employment and enterprise development while enhancing the visibility of Kenyan tea brands.

For KTDA, the continued development of value-added products offers an opportunity to strengthen the connection between Kenyan tea producers and consumers.

The presentation of Rukuriri Tea Factory's new products is therefore a notable example of how local processing can support a broader transformation of the sector.

Njeru's engagement with the MSME State Department demonstrates the importance of partnerships in achieving this objective. Government agencies, farmer organisations, tea factories and private enterprises all have roles to play in building a more competitive and inclusive value chain.

As the sector continues to explore new markets and product opportunities, the KTDA chairman's message remains clear: Kenyan tea should not only be known for its quality but should also generate greater value for the people who produce it.

From the tea farm to the consumer's cup, the smallholder farmer must remain at the centre.

That vision places value addition, innovation and market expansion not merely as commercial objectives, but as instruments for strengthening the livelihoods of Kenya's tea-growing communities.