The Council of Governors (CoG) has filed a legal action to halt the implementation of new coffee regulations issued by the Ministry of Agriculture last month.
According to the CoG, the regulations requiring coffee farmers to obtain two licenses to mill and market their own coffee were drafted in their absence.
They claim that Agriculture CS Peter Munya promulgated the crops (coffee) (general) amendment regulations 2022 without consulting county governments or other stakeholders.
According to the CoG’s court documents, the proposed regulatory changes seek to prohibit farmers from selling their produce directly to consumers.
According to the CoG, the amendments will deprive coffee growers of their proprietary rights as coffee owners.
“The regulations take away licensing and regulatory functions that were constitutionally assigned to county governments and give them to AFA.” Said the CoG.
Their claim is that when the disputed regulations were being developed, farmers and other stakeholders in the coffee industry were not given the opportunity to comment on the amendment.
The matter will be mentioned on September 8th.
