Kenya Tea Prices Continue to Decline at Mombasa Auction Amid Tea Levy Concern

Kenya, 17 June 2026 - The price of Kenyan tea at the Mombasa Tea Auction has continued to decline, with stakeholders attributing the downturn to the tea levy charged to buyers.

According to the latest market analysis, Kenyan tea fetched an average price of  KSh 287.67 ($2.23) per kilogram this week, which was significantly lower than Rwandan tea, which was sold at an average of Sh350.88 ($2.72) per kilogram.

A similar trend was recorded last week when Rwandan tea traded at an average of $2.73 (KSh 353.43) compared to the Kenyan tea, which was selling at $2.24 ( KSh289.99).

The industry stakeholders have noted that the KSh2.28  charged to buyers of the products has affected the competitiveness of Kenyan tea at the regional auction market.

 However, the analysis showed that despite the overall decline in prices, some factories, particularly those in the Mount Kenya region, a key tea-growing area, continued to post strong performances during the trading period.

Gathuthi Factory emerged as the top performer and was the only factory to achieve a price above $3.03 per kilogram (about KSh390.87), followed by  Mununga Factory, which recorded an average price of $2.96 (KSh381.84), while Rukuriri  Factory fetched Sh376.68 ($2.92) per kilogram.

The Mombasa Tea Auction is one of the world's largest black tea trading platforms and serves as a key market for tea produced in Kenya and other East African countries, including Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, and Burundi.

The continued decline of the country’s tea is likely to trigger concerns among producers and experts, especially given the country’s heavy reliance on tea as one of its key exports.