Senate rejects new tea rules
Women sort tea leaves before weighing at Rwatheini tea buying centre in Nyeri County on October 19, 2020.
Tea growers will have to wait longer to benefit from government-initiated reforms after the Senate rejected new regulations.
The Committee on Delegated Legislation and the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries resolved not to accede to the Crops (Tea Industry) Regulations, 2020, and recommending their annulment in their entirety.
It said the rules fly in the face of the spirit of devolution given that agriculture is devolved.
“The committee did not accede to the Crops (Tea Industry) Regulations, 2020 and will be seeking a resolution of the Senate to annul them as some of the provisions were not in the interest of counties,” said committee chairperson Mohammed Faki.
“The regulations should clearly provide for the role of the counties as agriculture is a devolved function,” he told the house.
“Debate by full plenary of the Senate on Delegated Committee's report on tea has not been finalised. We expect the debate to be concluded Tuesday next week. I will oppose that report. I urge senators from tea-growing regions to support me. We need to support tea farmers,” said Murang’a senator Irungu Kang’ata in a tweet yesterday.
New regime
The Senate move comes months after parliament supported the regulations and castigated the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) for fighting the reforms that are aimed at benefiting tea farmers.
The agency had in August petitioned parliament to stop implementation of the new regime but legislators failed to see eye to eye with their argument.
Appearing before Committee on Delegated Legislation, KTDA and other stakeholders in the tea sub-sector presented their case on why they are opposed to implementation of the new regulation.
However, committee members said the new set of laws, whose implementation had begun, were popular with their constituents and that they are good for the sector.
