Members of the Kenyan National Assembly are set to consider a new bill that seeks to introduce higher education requirements for individuals dealing with the sale of farm inputs like fertiliser and animal feeds.
The Agricultural Professionals Registration and Licensing Bill 2024 proposes mandatory registration for agricultural professionals with degree, diploma, or certificate in agriculture before engaging in the business.
“A person who, not being eligible to be registered or licensed under this Act, manages or dispenses agricultural inputs in the form of fertilisers, feeds, or agricultural chemicals commits an offence and is liable upon conviction to a fine not exceeding Sh200,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or both,” the Bill says.
The Bill, sponsored by Tigania West MP John Mutunga, seeks to establish the Agricultural Professionals Registration and Licensing Board to register, issue annual licences, and regulate the conduct of the sector’s practitioners.
Practitioners will be required to pay an annual fee to renew their licences.
If the Bill sails through, agricultural practitioners will join a fast-growing list of highly regulated professionals, which includes doctors, accountants, lawyers, architects, engineers, and surveyors.
According to Mr Mutunga, the Bill will bring sanity to the sector by establishing a legislative framework for the training, registration, and licensing of agricultural professionals.
“The Bill further seeks to regulate the practice of agricultural professionals,” Mr Mutunga says in the Bill’s memorandum of objects and reasons.
The proposed law comes in the wake of a ‘fake fertiliser’ storm that has seen rogue traders selling counterfeit and substandard farm inputs, which puts the country at risk of decreased food production.
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