Watu wa majani chai Mpo? At last week's Mombasa tea auction, Rwandan tea fetched an average of Sh354.75 per kilogramme. Kenyan tea fetched Sh299.28.
This is Kenya, the historic home of East African tea, with a brand built over generations, being outpriced by a smaller neighbour at our own auction.
Why? A Sh2.28 levy introduced on every kilo of exported tea since May 1 has pushed buyers toward Rwandan, Ugandan and Tanzanian alternatives. One industry leader said producers from those countries "are smiling all the way to the bank," while Kenyan tea struggles to find buyers. Last week alone, 1,600 tonnes of KTDA tea went unsold.
Stakeholders are now asking the government to scrap a levy worth roughly Sh1.2 billion a year, rather than watch the entire industry and the smallholder farmers who depend on it sink.
This is what happens when every new tax is designed around how much revenue it raises, never around what it costs the economy. We taxed our way out of our own market.
Farmers did not create this problem. Someone did.
They want to spend KSh 375 BILLION expanding JKIA.
That's enough money to build an entire new international airport from scratch.
For context: China built the massive Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport for just KSh 285 Billion.
This is your money. Demand better.
“There was a time I was seriously sick and had to be rushed to Nairobi by ambulance. I almost lost my life. Meru urgently needs an airstrip so that, in emergencies, leaders can be airlifted to Nairobi for specialized treatment.” ~Kiraitu Murungi. Why didn't he build a modern health care center in Meru to serve all the people? Wisdom no longer comes with age.
@KensonMutethia If I went to a day school in Bofu, you would not have known me bro. I would be climbing palm trees as @wuodosur says. Boarding schools are necessary for those whose homes are not the best places for studies. I don't know if this makes sense.
Google says: A successful hatewatch refers to the intense, highly satisfying experience of tuning into a sports match, television show, or movie for the sole purpose of seeing your rivals, a despised character, or a disliked team fail.