Kenyan rose farmer Ngari Mahihu reports that a month of U.S. and Israeli air strikes on Iran has forced him to toss millions of rose stems, cutting export volumes by more than half from his 60‑hectare plot near Nakuru. The loss reverberates across the country’s $900 million floriculture sector.

The conflict has shut Gulf ports, tripled freight rates and left Kenyan flowers stranded in warehouses. Bangladesh‑style logistics now reroute tea from the Gulf to Colombo and around the Cape, inflating costs and delaying payments. The East Africa Tea Trade Association cites $8 million a week in losses since March.

These disruptions threaten rural livelihoods and Kenya’s status as the world’s fourth‑largest flower exporter. With export markets drying, farmers face unpaid leave for 1,200 workers, while tea traders wait months for shipments. The crisis underscores how geopolitical shockwaves can collapse supply chains that underpin a nation’s trade revenue.