• Kenya exported 652,792 tons of tea in 2025, up 4.35% year on year.

• Export revenue fell 1% to 186.9 billion shillings ($1.44 billion).

• Nairobi aims to boost specialty tea output to 200,000 tons by 2030.

Kenya exported 652,792 tons of tea in 2025, according to provisional campaign data released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) in its latest monthly economic report published on Feb. 6.

The figure represents a 4.35% increase from the 625,549 tons recorded a year earlier. Despite the higher volumes, export earnings were largely flat and even declined 1% year on year to 186.9 billion shillings ($1.44 billion).

The mismatch reflects weaker prices at the Mombasa auction during the period. “The average auction price for 2025 stood at USD 2.15 per kg, down from USD 2.19 per kg in 2024,” KNBS said in its report.

The data once again highlights the limited value capture of Kenyan tea on global markets. The country’s exports are overwhelmingly dominated by CTC black tea, which accounts for 99% of production and export volumes. Specialty teas make up barely 1% of shipments, meaning Kenya captures little of the higher margins available in that segment.

Against this backdrop, Nairobi has since last year reaffirmed its political commitment to expand domestic specialty tea production. The Agriculture Ministry aims to raise Kenya’s installed orthodox tea processing capacity to 200,000 tons by 2030 — more than 13 times the 15,000 tons recorded in 2025.

In addition, the government introduced orthodox tea into the auction system last September, which had previously been reserved for CTC black tea (“Cut-Tear-Curl”), in an effort to secure better prices and generate stronger market interest.

Stéphanas Assocle