Kigezi Highland Tea Factory Remains Closed Over Inadequate Tea Leaf Supply

KISORO, UGANDA: The Kigezi Highland Tea Factory Ltd (KHTL) in Nyakabande Subcounty along the Kisoro-Kabale Road in Kisoro District remains closed, with authorities saying its reopening will depend on farmers increasing tea production and supplying enough green tea leaves to sustain its operations.

The factory is part of the development of the tea-processing industry in Uganda’s Kigezi sub-region. It was established through a partnership between Kigezi Highland Tea Ltd and the Uganda Development Corporation (UDC) as part of a government effort to promote tea growing, agro-processing and value addition in the region.

The initiative followed a government Cabinet directive to establish tea factories in Kabale, Kisoro and Kanungu, with the aim of encouraging tea production as a source of income for farmers while creating local processing capacity.

Through UDC, the government entered into a lease-financing partnership with Kigezi Highland Tea Ltd to establish tea-processing facilities in Kisoro and Kabale. The two factories were equipped with Cut, Tear and Curl (CTC) machinery, each with a processing capacity of 450 kilograms of green tea leaves per hour.

However, the Kisoro factory is currently not operating, with officials attributing the closure mainly to insufficient supply and poor quality of green tea leaves from farmers. As of Friday, October 2, 2026, the factory has remained closed for months, while some of the tea leaves produced by farmers are reportedly being transported to the Kabale factory for processing.

Retired Cano Deho Kaita, the Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation in Kisoro District and Kigezi Region Reserve Commander, says it is disappointing for the government to invest in projects intended to benefit communities only for such facilities to remain closed.

Kaita has encouraged people in Kisoro to properly utilize government investments, saying farmers should increase tea production if the factory is reopened to ensure a steady supply of raw materials.

He says the continued closure of the factory can disadvantage farmers because they may receive lower prices for their tea when they lack a nearby processing facility.

Kaita has therefore urged tea farmers to return to their gardens, properly maintain them and increase production so that enough tea leaves can be supplied to sustain the factory when it reopens.

CUE IN KAITA ON THE CLOSED KIGEZI HIGHLAND TEA FACTORY

Meanwhile, Kisoro District Agricultural Officer Mrs. Nyiramutuzo Harriet says the district agriculture office has already held discussions with the management and director of Kigezi Highland Tea Factory, who agreed that the factory could reopen once farmers are able to produce enough tea leaves.

She says reopening the factory could contribute to improved tea prices and enable farmers to earn more from their produce.

Nyiramutuzo has appealed to farmers who abandoned or neglected their tea gardens to return and put more effort into tea growing, saying increased production would provide enough raw materials to enable the factory to operate on a full-time basis.

She adds that reopening the factory could also create employment opportunities for people in Kisoro and support livelihoods in the district.

CUE IN NYIRAMUTUZO ON THE CLOSED KIGEZI HIGHLAND TEA FACTORY