Ten parastatals to become departments

By Jackson Okoth

Kenya: The Ministry of Agriculture is in the process of shutting down operations at some 10 agricultural parastatals.

This follows formation of an 11-member committee to oversee the establishment of the Agriculture, Livestock and Food Authority (AFFA), an organisation that will take over functions of these authorities and agriculture boards.

An interim management committee has already been established to operationalise the AFFA Act - contained in Gazette Notice No 1363, dated February 28, 2014.

“We expect the committee to take an inventory of the existing assets and other legal agreements and advise the Government accordingly,” said Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture, Felix Koskei.

Parastatals facing the axe include Kenya Sugar Board-considered the richest one, Tea Board of Kenya, Horticultural Crops Development Authority, Pyrethrum Board of Kenya, Coffee Board of Kenya, Cotton Development Authority, Kenya Sisal Board and Kenya Coconut Development Authority, National Cereals and Produce Board and Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate (Kephis).

Operations of the Dairy Board, Kenya Meat Commission, Pig Industry Board, Pests Control Board, and Kenya National Artificial Insemination Centre will be collapsed into the envisaged single Livestock Authority.

 It is during life of the tenth Parliament that three laws touching on the agricultural sector were enacted. They are the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Authority (AFFA) Act 2013, the Crops Act 2013 and the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Act 2013, all gazetted on January 25, 2013.

The three pieces of legislation were crafted against the backdrop of the proposal by the Kenya Vision 2030 blueprint to review the current agriculture sector regulatory framework and develop new policy measures aimed at streamlining the sector. Mrs Hannah Muriithi, former chairperson of Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) will head the 11-member committee. The committee’s brief is to take stock of the assets and liabilities of the defunct State corporations.