DP Kindiki commits to reform tea sector, says no one will stand in his way

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki says no one will stand in the way of policy and administrative reforms aimed at streamlining the tea sector.

Speaking in Mombasa at the Kenya Tea Summit, Kindiki says the move is to ensure over 800,000 farmers get value for their sweat.

The DP says the tea sector is an integral part of the country’s heritage and continues to contribute immensely to the growth of the economy.

"Tea is the third foreign exchange earner after Diaspora remittances and tourism. Tea gives us jobs, especially in rural communities, especially our women who find a lot of decent jobs in the industry," Kindiki said.

"Going forward the government will continue to invest in this sub-sector; this administration under the Bottom Up Transformation Agenda believes that the only way to revive our agriculture and take it to the next century is  by investing and putting resources in the production process."

He has asked tea stakeholders to come up with innovative ways of adding value in order to yield more profits.

The government has also promised to deal with emerging challenges at the port of Mombasa that have contributed to delays in the exportation of tea.