Bomet County
Mau Forest edge became tea monoculture—2025 bonuses of KSh 12/kg triggered farmer revolts. By 2026: new markets open or agricultural exodus accelerates.
Bomet exists because the Mau Forest exists. This highland county bordering Kenya's largest indigenous forest benefits from reliable rainfall and fertile soils that support tea cultivation in eastern areas near the forest edge. The Kipsigis people, part of the larger Kalenjin group, have farmed these lands for centuries, adapting traditional pastoralism to crop agriculture.
Colonial-era tea plantations established the infrastructure—both George Williamson and James Finlay maintain factories here—while KTDA cooperatives now manage smallholder production through factories at Kapset, Mogogosiek, Rororok, Kapkoros, and Tirgaga. The county's economy rises and falls with tea prices, creating a monoculture vulnerability that 2025 exposed brutally.
The 2025 tea bonus crisis hit Bomet hard. Mogogosiek factory paid just KSh 12 per kilogram, Kapkoros and Kapset KSh 13—among Kenya's lowest returns. Furious farmers threatened to halt supply, with some uprooting tea bushes and switching to alternative crops. Factory directors acknowledged the crisis at annual general meetings, promising better returns next year as KTDA seeks new international markets for unsold inventory.
The county exhibits classic commodity dependence: when global tea prices drop, Bomet's entire economy suffers. Unlike neighboring Narok with its tourism diversification, Bomet has few alternative revenue streams. By 2026, the county's trajectory depends on whether KTDA can open new markets and whether farmers can diversify beyond tea before another price collapse devastates livelihoods.