The Historical Emergence and Institutionalization of Smallholder Tea Farming in Kipsigis Land, Kenya (1924-1963)

The purpose of this article is to trace the historical emergence and institutionalization of smallholder tea farming in Kipsigis land between 1924 and 1963 under colonial administration. This study examines how colonial agricultural policies, land alienation, and labor recruitment systems facilitated the introduction of tea cultivation while initially excluding African farmers from direct participation. Using a historical qualitative research design, data were collected through oral interviews with 61 respondents, archival research at Kenya National Archives, and analysis of colonial administrative records. The findings reveal that tea farming was introduced in 1924 as a settler enterprise but gradually incorporated African participation through labor migration and eventual smallholder schemes beginning in 1954. The research demonstrates how colonial restrictions on African cash crop cultivation were gradually relaxed through the Swynnerton Plan, leading to the establishment of pilot tea schemes that laid the foundation for post-independence smallholder tea production. This study contributes to understanding colonial agricultural development policies and their long-term impacts on rural African communities. The significance lies in documenting how colonial exclusion and subsequent inclusion shaped the institutional framework of Kenya's tea industry and influenced rural livelihoods in the post-independence period.