Mogaka Opposes Live-Streaming Bill, Presses for Fair Tea Payments
The Mt Kenya Times 
West Mugirango MP Steve Mogaka
By Elizabeth Angira
West Mugirango MP says Parliament must address regional disparities in tea bonuses, quality and production, and bring transparency to the auction process.
West Mugirango MP Steve Mogaka has opposed proposed amendments to the Elections Act on live-streaming election results, accusing leaders of diverting attention from unequal tea bonus payments to farmers in different regions.
Speaking in Nyamira County , Mogaka said Parliament must establish why tea farmers in Kisii and Nyamira counties receive lower bonuses than their counterparts in other tea-growing regions.
He argued that the debate over the election Bill should not overshadow the concerns legislators have raised about the tea sector, where farmers have repeatedly questioned their returns.
“We must get to the bottom of the root cause of why farmers from other regions are being paid poorly,” he said, calling for transparency in the tea auction process.
He proposed that farmers from affected regions be allowed to witness auctions so they can understand how prices are determined and how proceeds translate into their earnings.
Questions over quality and bonus disparities
The remarks followed his contribution to a parliamentary debate on a petition presented by the Kangema MP on the challenges facing tea farmers. During that session, Mogaka called for a comprehensive review of tea production, quality assessment and bonus payments, noting that farmers in the Gusii region had faced the problem for decades.
“I come from the Gusii region, which is a tea-growing area, and this tea issue has been a menace to farmers every year, every decade,” he told the House.
He questioned why differences in tea quality and productivity persisted across regions despite decades of farming, and urged agricultural researchers to establish whether suitable fertilisers, improved farming practices and other scientific interventions could raise quality and yields.
In his view, the inquiry should not stop at bonus figures but should also examine what determines tea quality, the prices fetched at auction and the final payments farmers receive.
Mogaka said farmers in his constituency remained unconvinced that their earnings reflected the value of their produce, even when payments reached KSh50 per kilogramme.
He urged the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock to visit tea-growing areas in Kisii, Nyamira and Kericho to hear directly from farmers.
He also proposed exchange visits between regions, inviting legislators from the Gusii region to tour tea factories in the Mount Kenya region to learn from their practices.
The committee, he maintained, should examine the entire value chain, including research, production costs, quality assessment, buyers’ pricing and auction practices, before recommending measures to improve farmers’ earnings.
The live-streaming dispute
Turning to the election Bill, Mogaka said the debate risked drawing attention away from the tea farmers’ concerns.
The Elections (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2024, has sparked disagreement between the Senate and the National Assembly over changes to the law governing the transmission and declaration of election results. The Senate’s version sought to amend Section 39 of the Elections Act, including provisions on the transmission and publication of results, which critics said raised concerns about transparency in the electoral process.
The National Assembly amended the Bill, removing the contentious proposal and retaining the existing provisions on live-streaming results. The amended Bill was to return to the Senate for consideration under the constitutional process for resolving differences between the two Houses.
Mogaka insisted that the election Bill should not be used as a distraction. Parliament, he said, must continue examining why farmers in some regions earn less and ensure that growers have a voice in decisions affecting their livelihoods.
For tea farmers in Kisii and Nyamira, the issue remains one of fair compensation, transparency and accountability in the marketing of their produce. Mogaka called on the relevant parliamentary committee to listen to affected growers and pursue solutions that address the root causes of the disparities.
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