Building safer, more accountable workplaces in Kenya’s tea sector

The Kenyan tea sector plays a vital role in the country’s economy, supporting millions of smallholder farmers, plantation workers, and communities while supplying valued products to global markets. Because tea touches so many lives, the wellbeing of those who cultivate and harvest it matters not just for productivity but for dignity and rights.

Over time, however, persistent social challenges in the sector particularly around workplace safety, gendered risks, and exploitation revealed limitations in existing responses and demonstrated the need for a more coordinated and proactive approach.

Why the MSP was needed

In February 2023, a high-profile investigation by BBC Africa Eye and BBC Panorama uncovered widespread evidence of sexual exploitation and harassment on Kenyan tea plantations supplying several well- known brands. More than 70 women gave testimony alleging that supervisors demanded sexual favours in return for employment or advancement in roles where work opportunities were scarce and economic vulnerability was high. 

The investigation reinforced a long-recognised reality: isolated company responses cannot address systemic risks across the tea sector. In response to the allegations, Partner Africa was commissioned to conduct an independent investigation at one of the implicated estates with a steering group, including representatives of buyers, a local civil society organisation and other sector actors, overseeing the process. The BBC investigation catalysed broader sector engagement, prompting buyers, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to recognise that coordinated action would be required to address systemic risks across the industry.

Partner Africa’s report offered a robust set of recommendations encompassing remediation for victims, structural changes and improved systems. In response, the estate and its corporate leadership developed a detailed action plan of survivor-centred approaches to address remediation and structural change, involving worker and community participation, and third-party monitoring, Buyers engaged in the steering group committed financial resources to support action plan implementation and affirmed their shared responsibility for improvement.

The recommendations extended beyond immediate remediation to include structural reforms, strengthened human rights due diligence, enhanced grievance mechanisms and longer-term prevention measures, recognising that sustainable change would require both organisational commitment and sector-wide collaboration.

To address deep rooted and systemic social risks across the Kenyan tea industry, many stakeholders agreed that a formalised multi stakeholder platform (MSP) was needed to bring diverse actors together, share accountability, and drive systemic change

What the MSP is

The MSP represents a deliberate shift from fragmented interventions toward structured, collective action in the Kenyan tea industry. Rather than acting as another isolated programme,  the MSP is designed to strengthen existing efforts, reduce duplication, and foster long term meaningful collaboration between regulators, producers, buyers, civil society practitioners, worker representatives, trade unions, and development partners to prevent and respond to workplace risks including sexual and gender- based violence and harassment (SGBVH). By creating opportunities for collective learning, practical exchange and coordinated planning, the MSP enables stakeholders to build on one another's efforts while promoting greater consistency in approaches across the tea value chain.

At its core, the MSP has tripartite co-anchors of an industry organisation, a government body, and a local NGO to foster shared accountability within the sector. The platform’s governance structure builds on this shared and inclusive ownership to enable effective dialogue, knowledge exchange, and joint decision making. It includes a representative Steering Committee, thematic working groups focused on priority issues, and a Secretariat responsible for convening, documenting, and coordinating action. Government agencies participate in a facilitative and policy aligned capacity, ensuring that the platform remains grounded in national frameworks while enabling autonomy and trust among diverse stakeholders.

Decision making within the MSP is consensus oriented, prioritising transparent dialogue and iterative engagement. The platform also emphasises safeguarding and providing a safe environment for sensitive discussions, recognising that addressing issues like SGBVH requires trust, confidentiality, and survivor centred processes.

Objectives, ambitions, and the road ahead

The MSP’s objectives include strengthening sector coordination, enhancing shared learning and practical exchange, and embedding accountability through monitoring and reporting mechanisms. It seeks to promote policy coherence by linking the realities faced by workers and communities with national and global human rights standards and frameworks.

One of the most significant achievements of the MSP is its very establishment. Bringing together a diverse mix of stakeholders in a structured and sustained space is a notable step in itself, signalling collective commitment to addressing systemic challenges. Early engagement has demonstrated broad representation and a shared recognition of the platform’s importance.

Looking forward, the focus of the MSP is on translating its structure into tangible impact. Operationalising thematic working groups, consolidating sector knowledge, and supporting practical, non-duplicative action are among the immediate priorities. By doing so, the platform aims to demonstrate its value through early and visible outcomes that reinforce confidence among participants and the wider sector.

Beyond addressing urgent issues, the MSP offers broader potential for enhancing the resilience and sustainability of the Kenyan tea industry. By fostering alignment between business practices, worker protections, and enabling environments, the platform contributes to safer and more dignified workplaces. It also positions the sector to respond more effectively to internal and external pressures, enhancing its competitiveness and social license.

While individual organisations remain responsible for addressing risks within their own operations, the MSP provides the collaborative structure needed to tackle challenges that extend across the wider tea sector. Its strength lies in enabling organisations to learn from one another, align responses and collectively address systemic issues that no single actor can solve alone.

 Ultimately, the MSP does not replace individual responsibility, it strengthens it. By creating a shared space for accountability, learning, and worker-centred action, it offers a practical pathway for addressing systemic risks that no actor can solve alone. The journey toward safer, more accountable workplaces continues. With the MSP in place, the sector has a collaborative foundation for advancing human rights, wellbeing, and shared prosperity across the Kenyan tea value chain.