Munya sets stage for dissolution of agricultural sector agency
The government has initiated the process to disband Agriculture Food Authority (AFA) and re-establish former regulators as part of the reform agenda being fast-tracked to catalyse high growth in the sector.
Ministry of Agriculture plans to re-establish coffee, tea, sugar, coconut, sisal, cotton and pyrethrum boards and horticulture in the next one year.
Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya last week directed all the directorates under AFA to each draw a bill by August 28 to push the process forward.
AFA acting Director General Anthony Muriithi has already written to all the interim heads of the directorates to immediately embark on drafting the bills.
Various sub-sectors
Development of the bills will lead to repealing of the Crops Act, 2013, and eventually to enactment of respective legislations for each sub-sector.
Two months ago, Munya hinted of disbanding the authority arguing the regulation of various sub-sectors is not week executed.
AFA is the successor of former regulatory institutions in the sector that were merged into directorates under the Authority after the commencement of Crops Act, 2013 on August 1, 2014.
Even as the heads of the directorates embark of drafting the bills the minister is in the process of appointing a taskforce to evaluate the performance of the agency.
“We want to see what AFA has achieved because it is not easy for it to manage all other agencies that were independent previously,” Munya said.
Then disbanded institutions include Coffee Board of Kenya, Kenya Sugar Board, Tea Board of Kenya, Coconut Development Authority, Cotton Development Authority, Sisal Board of Kenya, Pyrethrum Board of Kenya, and Horticultural Crops Development Authority.
