✍️ A bill designed to nurture and grow the mung bean industry in Kenya was rejected by the National Assembly this week.

The Mung Beans Bill, 2022, is a proposed Kenyan law designed to establish a regulatory framework for the mung bean sector’s growth. The bill’s objectives include outlining responsibilities for both national and county governments, such as setting quality standards, providing technical assistance, facilitating market access, and encouraging the use of mung beans in government feeding programs. It also proposes a licensing system for mung bean marketers, processors, and traders.

The National Assembly, however, rejected the bill at the second reading stage. Initially sponsored by Senator Enoch Wambua in the Senate and co-sponsored by Hon. Paul Nzengu in the National Assembly, the bill was published on December 30, 2022, and read for the first time in the Senate on February 15, 2023. It was then passed by the Senate and referred to the National Assembly for approval.

The rejection by the National Assembly means that the bill will now be sent to a mediation committee. The Speakers of both the National Assembly and Senate will appoint an equal number of members to form the mediation committee to consider an agreed version of the bill. The committee has 30 days to develop a mediated version. Once completed, the committee will present a report with the mediated version to both Houses. If both Houses approve it, the bill will be considered passed.

The Mung Beans Bill aimed to modernize mung bean farming techniques and improve the sector’s productivity while integrating the crop into government programs, but the current rejection indicates that further negotiation is needed to find a mutually acceptable version of the bill for both legislative bodies.