Wamuchomba Reveals what Ruto Said During State of the Nation Address That Almost Made Her Walk Out

Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba expressed deep frustration after President William Ruto’s State of the Nation Address, saying she nearly walked out when he touted a surge in tea export earnings.

Ruto claimed that Kenyan tea export revenues had jumped from KSh 138 billion in 2022 to KSh 215 billion in 2024, a 56 percent increase.

Wamuchomba sharply countered his narrative, pointing to the harsh reality of farmers in Kisii County, where the last tea bonus paid was as low as KSh 6 per kilo of green leaf.

Her anger reflects growing discontent among small-scale tea growers, especially in the West of Rift Valley, who argue that export earnings don’t translate into fair returns at the farm level.

The Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) has defended the drop in bonuses, attributing it to global market pressures and a weakening U.S. dollar exchange rate that reduced earnings in local currency.

According to KTDA, the Kenyan shilling’s average value weakened from KSh 144 per USD in 2024 to KSh 129 in 2025, which significantly cut the value of export proceeds converted back to shillings.

To respond to the crisis, KTDA has unveiled reforms: increasing orthodox tea production (which commands premium prices), modernising factories, lowering packaging costs, and expanding into new markets like China.

In a bid to ease the burden, the government has instructed KTDA to disburse KSh 2.7 billion recovered from collapsed banks back to tea farmers—this will be reflected in their pay‑slips as a “GoK Refund.”