KTDA Factories Scale Up Land, Tree Sales

After switching to self-generated electricity, factories connected to the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) have accelerated the selling of hundreds of acres of empty land they had purchased to grow trees for firewood.

Thousands of trees that the manufacturers no longer required are also being sold.

The most recent KTDA-managed facility looking to sell a section of its land is Kionyo Tea Factory.

A total of 55.105 acres of land totaling two parcels—one at Lower Kaongo comprising 33.85 acres and the other at Makandune measuring 21.25 acres—are up for sale from Kionyo at Abothuguci in Meru.

“The land is accessible via Meru-Ena road approximately 1.2 kilometers east of Kaare market center and 7km North of Makandune Market center in Mitunguu area Meru County,” said KTDA Management Services Ltd which is undertaking the sale on behalf of the factory.

The Kangaita Farm in Kirinyaga County is home to a 70-acre plantation where KTDA is concurrently selling about 20,600 eucalyptus trees.

“The plantation covers 7o acres with a population of about 20,600 trees of which 48.54 percent is classified as transmission poles while the rest is wood fuel. KTDA shall only sell transmission poles with the remaining biomass to be sold separately as firewood,” said KTDA.

In Murang’a County’s Gituamba Farm, 18,655 eucalyptus coppices are another thing on the company’s wish list.

The plantation’s stumps have coppiced, with the majority of them having more than one coppice, and the farm was last harvested in 2019, according to KTDA.

KTDA factories are already selling hundreds of acres of land that they had purchased to grow trees for firewood after switching to self-generated electricity.

The tea companies have recently started a land-selling frenzy in an effort to raise money from their idle assets to put into other business initiatives.

For the benefit of Rukuriri Tea Factory, KTDA Management Services Limited published a notice for the sale of 71 acres of land in Rwika, Embu, in December of last year.

“The property referred to as Rwika2 farm is 71 acres land formerly with tree plantation,” said KTDA.

Additionally, the company offered for sale 86.8 acres in Segera, Laikipia, which belonged to the Chinga Tea Factory, as well as 106.47 acres in Mununga, Naivasha, on behalf of the Mataara Tea Factory.

This comes after bids were placed last year to sell the Mununga Tea Factory’s 101 acres in Mururiri, Embu, and the Ndima Tea Factory’s 200 acres in Kihato, Laikipia.

Huge energy consumption at tea plants accounts for roughly 30% of their operating expenses, and for many years the majority of their fuel source has been firewood.

Despite the majority of tea companies owning their own tree plantations, firewood proved to be expensive, leading many to invest in more affordable energy sources, including hydroelectric power and solar energy.