I have been wondering what impact the Gen Z demonstrations would have on the tea industry. The young people are clamouring for better governance, transparency, accountability and higher demonstrable returns from those in leadership.
What started as a protest against taxes and some deep grievances against the government has snowballed into full-blown public anger and frustration against leadership, they consider to be out of tune with the struggles of wananchi.
Gen Z have certainly witnessed very expensive electoral processes that leave many questioning how the winners recoup their electioneering investment given legislators' pay. But as soon as politicians win elections, their fortunes change overnight. Never mind the electoral processes mostly don't deliver the best candidate and many questionable but financially endowed characters end up taking charge.
They have witnessed the political class dictate everything in the public sector. This includes trading with the public sector at highly inflated premiums. All the influential public offices have to pander to the political powers that be, and anyone opposed to their whims is quickly shoved aside.
Indeed, as soon as a faction of the political class assumes office, everyone not aligned to it is immediately labelled a cartel so that they can be kicked out and replaced with 'one of their own' for the bidding.
Gen Z have demanded that public service appointments be based on merit and not be dished out as a reward to those close to the appointing authority; that those serving must not display impunity, but be held accountable based on publicly known deliverables.
They want wastage and pilferage in public service stopped; a lean service stripped of overlapping establishments and those that add little or no value; they want an institution that makes all Kenyans proud of paying taxes and that accounts for every tax penny.
Towards this, they have proposed reducing the number of counties, senators and nominated representatives, and doing away with the woman representative position.
I have been wondering why Parliament and county assemblies are not just houses of legislation, oversight and representation. Why legislators should head funds that they should be overseeing.
Is the very existence of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission not a confirmation of expectation of permanent corruption in public service? Why not have a government department that studies corruption in all forms, and gives strategies on how to slay it? Why can’t all institutions receiving money from members of the public be subjected to public audit, including churches and Saccos?
I can see the Gen Z visiting Mabroukie tea factory where the Cane Brothers planted the first tea bush in Kenya and demanding a robust cash crop economy. I can see them demanding immediate pursuit of every strategy inside and outside the books to deliver average global export prices per kilo that match those of Japan’s $26.5 (Sh 3,452), Taiwan’s $12.4 (Sh1,615), China’s $5.5 (Sh716), Sri Lanka’s $5 (Sh651) or India’s $3.6 (Sh469). Kenya only managed $2.6 (Sh339) in 2023.
I see Gen Z doing a salimiana (greeting) and occupying offices of tea institutions to demand immediate action in embracing everything that would lead to better tea prices and returns for farmers to restore their dignity.
I see them rejecting uncontrolled production of more tea deemed of lower quality and value that only ends up dampening prices for all teas. I see them insisting on the establishment of a national tea quality standard based on available science to be used in production and trade.
I see them insisting on the use of technology in trading tea to create super efficiencies in cash turnaround, thereby saving factories the pain of cash flow and debt cycles, and tremendously improving price discovery mechanisms.
Tea is a Sh250 billion turnover industry, an amount that can be more than doubled with minimal interventions. I, therefore, see Gen Z immediately demanding a National Tea Quality Intervention Program, a National Tea Common User Facility to drive value addition for exports, monetary and fiscal incentives from the government to entice investors, and a Visioning Review among those charged with the responsibility of seeing these initiatives through.
I call on Gen Z watusalimie kwa chai. Please push us to make ourselves lean and efficient. Push us to embrace technology more. Make us proud of our tea industry once more.