This archive report was first published on 9 October 2019.
Published on October 9, 2019, the Crops (Coffee) (General) Regulations of 2019 have been met with resistance from farmers in Central Kenya. The regulations, aimed at reviving the coffee sector, have been dismissed as counterproductive by stakeholders.
The Kirinyaga County Cooperative Union has accused the Agriculture ministry of violating the Constitution by failing to consult stakeholders in the formulation of the regulations. The union also claims that the ministry disregarded the recommendations of the Coffee Task Force set up by President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2016.
The union has called for the suspension of the rules, stating that the existing legislation and regulations are adequate to revive the sector. They also expressed concerns over the requirement for Saccos to obtain approvals from members every time they take a bank loan, which they believe would be cumbersome and detrimental to the industry.
The regulations, published on July 1, also require all industry players to digitise their operations within a year, which the union fears would push up operational costs.
According to the union, the new regulations do not address the core problems facing the coffee industry, including production efficiency, production costs, crop financing, corporate governance failures, and regulatory ineptness.
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