The Kilimo Haki lobby group has called on the National Assembly to suspend nine agricultural bills, arguing that they violate multiple constitutional provisions and impose punitive regulations on farmers.

Among the flagged bills are the Agriculture and Food Authority Bill, Livestock Bill 2024, Agriculture Professional Registration and Licensing Bill 2024, and others.The lobby group criticizes the proposed laws for criminalizing agriculture, highlighting that farmers caught practicing without meeting specific requirements could face a minimum jail term of two years or a fine of at least Ksh 500,000. They argue that these laws infringe on over 50 articles of the Constitution and contradict the government’s promise of streamlining regulatory authorities by introducing new oversight bodies instead of reducing them.

Kilimo Haki urges lawmakers to review and amend the bills to ensure compliance with the Constitution before they are passed into law.