Council
of Governors has faulted the proposed tea regulations describing them as commercially
unsound, demanding their withdrawal for amendments.
The
council called for fresh consultations, citing that there would be a rollback
of the gain of economic liberalization.
The county governments rubbished the proposal
on the grounds it was not involved yet agriculture was a devolved function.
The
council’s Agriculture Committee chairman
Muthomi Njuki said the COG will be heading to court to block the implementation
of the regulations.
Muthomi
is the Governor Tharaka Nithi county.
He
cited that in the reforms there is over-concentration of the Central government
in the proposal.
The council described the public participation
presided by Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya as mere threatre of
absurdity.
“We
note that the public participation exercise is being choreographed to lead to a determined outcome which is meant to disadvantage the tea farmers,” said Njuki.
The county governments are seeking for fresh consultative sessions
with the Ministry of Agriculture and
Agriculture Food Authority (AFA) to
ensure the regulations will conform with
constitution.
The council found that direct market of tea should
be encouraged if it fetched more than price offered at Mombasa Auction.
In the past two months Kenya Tea Development
Agency (KTDA) through the directors had
put a spirited fight seeking for the
abolishment of the regulation, citing the process was illegal and
unconstitutional.
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