The national Assembly Tuesday evening passed the Tea Bill which, once enacted into law will now govern the tea sector.
It will also bring back the Tea Board of Kenya and Tea Research Foundation.
The Bill also empowers the Agriculture Cabinet secretary for to make regulations in the sector.
The Tea Bill which was going into the third reading, was earlier shifted back to Second Reading after a hawk-eyed MP noticed that some fundamental changes that would have reformed the tea industry had been deleted — or omitted.
The National Assembly has just passed the Tea Bill. 11PM!!! Thank you honorable members. Thank you!!! The farmer is happy.
– Irungu Nyakera, CBS (@wnyakera) December 1, 2020
KTDA, which has been fighting to preserve the status quo, had objected to the new rules proposed by Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya, arguing that the new regulations will interfere with tea trading.
It has been backed by the East Africa Tea Traders Association which runs that auction house in Mombasa.