Why court temporarily stopped controversial rice import

Rice farming in Mwea. [File, Standard]

The government has suffered a major setback after the High Court in Kerugoya temporarily blocked its plan to import 500,000 tonnes of duty-free rice.

In orders issued yesterday, Justice Edward Muriithi granted interim conservatory orders, effectively suspending the importation process and directing the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to detain any rice consignments already in the country, a move seen as a lifeline for local rice farmers struggling with unsold produce.

Justice Muriithi ordered KRA, listed as the fourth respondent to use its mechanisms to detain the alleged rice consignments until further directions of the court.

The court warned that any disobedience of the orders would attract penal consequences.

The court injunctions came in response to an urgent application filed by Kirinyaga Senator Kamau Murango and MCA David Mathenge, who accused the government of contempt of court for issuing a new Gazette Notice while an earlier court order remained in force.

At the heart of the dispute is gazette notice No. 262, published on January 9, 2026, which extended the duty-free rice importation period to May 31, 2026.

The petitioners argue this notice was issued in deliberate violation of conservatory orders granted by the same court on August 19, 2025, which had restricted rice imports to just 250,000 tonnes and placed the original gazette notice under judicial supervision.

According to court documents, the government executed the controversial amendment on December 23, 2025, just one day after Justice Muriithi ruled that the original gazette notice had become a ward of the court, meaning its modification required judicial approval.

During court proceedings on January 6, KRA lawyers argued that the original gazette notice had expired, without disclosing that a new amendment had already been signed two weeks earlier.

Murango has vehemently rejected  the government’s move to allow the importation of an estimated 70 million tonnes of rice while locally produced rice remains unsold in farmers’ stores.

“The rice currently stored in farmers’ warehouses must be bought first before any importation is allowed. If this rice is allowed into the country, it will kill rice farming in Mwea,” Murango said.

He argued that rice farmers in Mwea are grappling with high production costs, rising input prices, water shortages, and delayed payments, yet the government is opting to import rice instead of buying from local producers.

The Senator claimed that two vessels are currently offloading duty-free rice at Kilindini Harbour.

Agriculture CS Mutahi Kagwe warned that preventing imports could lead to sharp price increases, disproportionately affecting low-income households in informal settlements and drought-stricken counties.

The case is scheduled for directions on January 19 at 2.30 pm.