President William Ruto addresses residents at Boito in Konoin, Bomet, on September 11, 2026/PCS
President William Ruto has directed the Agriculture Principal Secretary to immediately audit the debts owed by tea factories in Bomet and establish which liabilities are legitimate before the government considers offering financial support.
Ruto said the government would only help settle debts that are found to be genuine, warning that it would not pay loans acquired through fraudulent or irregular arrangements.
“Hapa tuko na factories iko na madeni kubwa kubwa. Nataka huyu PS (Rono) wangu ukuje hapa, nataka hiyo madeni ichunguzwe. Nikipata iko sawa, mimi nitasaidia nyinyi kulipa sehemu ya hiyo deni,” Ruto said.
The President was speaking Friday during his development tour of Bomet County, after Konoin MP Brighton Yegon appealed for government intervention over the financial challenges facing tea factories in the region.
Ruto directed the Agriculture PS Paul Ronoh to ensure the audit was conducted immediately and that he received a report within one month to enable him to plan the government’s response.
“PS, weka audit mara moja. Nataka nijue in the next one month ndiyo nipange,” he said.
The President said the government had encountered similar challenges in the sugar sector, where it was forced to deal with large debts whose legitimacy had not been properly established.
He said the audit would help determine whether the loans were genuine and prevent fraudulent or irregular liabilities from being transferred to the government.
"Lakini siwezi lipa deni yenye mtu alichukua (But, I am not going to pay a debt which somebody took)," Ruto said.
He added that once the debts were investigated and verified, the government could provide a grant to help reduce the financial burden on the factories.
“Tunataka kuchunguza, tukipata iko sawa sawa, mimi nitawasaidia grant ya serikali kupunguza hiyo madeni,” he said.
Yegon had told the President that tea farmers in the region had suffered because of the huge loans accumulated by their factories.
He cited Kapset Tea Factory, which he said had a loan of Sh1.7 billion, and Mogogosiek Tea Factory, whose debt he placed at Sh2 billion.
“Tunaomba, Your Excellency, usaidie hawa wakulima wa majani chai, wameumia sana,” Yegon pleaded.
The MP said the debts were affecting the operations of the factories and limiting the benefits farmers received from their tea production.
Ruto said settling legitimate debts would ease the financial pressure on the factories and create more room for farmers to benefit from the tea they produce.
The President was in the area to officially commission the upgrading to bitumen standards of the Kapkatet-Boito-Kapset-Kaptien-Kapleleito-Kiptenden-Kapkoros-Kiplelji-Kapsimotwa-Kapkwen-Olbutyo-Siongiroi Road.
The project is expected to improve connectivity in the tea-growing region, ease transportation of farm produce and open up markets for farmers.
Ruto’s directive comes amid renewed government efforts to address the financial challenges facing agricultural cooperatives and processing firms, while ensuring that public funds are not used to settle questionable liabilities.
