The government intends to regulate poultry breeding in commercial and subsistence production through the Livestock (Poultry Industry) Regulations 2023.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture’s proposal, poultry products include chicken, duck, ostrich, goose, turkey, quail, pigeon, guinea fowl, and any wild bird domesticated for human consumption, commercial, or other purposes.
However, the Law allows Agriculture CS to declare any other bird as poultry via a gazette notice.
According to the proposal, any farmer who commits an offence under the regulations will face a fine of up to Ksh500,000 or a term of imprisonment of up to one year, or both.
Farmers must register their birds, including chickens, and provide details upon request, according to the regulations. In addition, a Livestock Inputs and Products Regulatory Authority will be established to track all registers, both manual and digital.
A poultry operator may be registered by the County Government where he or she is located, and a poultry operator keeping birds for commercial purposes must keep a poultry register in a prescribed form.
A poultry operator keeping birds for purposes other than commercial purposes may also keep a register of their registered poultry in a specified form.
It further adds that “A person shall not conduct any business as a dealer in poultry equipment unless they are registered and has a certificate of registration, and holds a current license issued by the Authority to operate as such.
