Members of Parliament have turned down a proposal to introduce a new levy on mung beans, commonly known as ndengu.
On Tuesday afternoon, the National Assembly rejected the Mung Bill, 2022, during its second reading, which allows MPs to debate the fundamental principles of the legislation.
The Bill aimed to regulate the production, processing, and marketing of mung beans in Kenya but will now move to mediation. It proposed imposing a fine of up to Sh1 million on anyone who markets, processes, or engages in large-scale trade of mung beans or related products without a license.
Additionally, the legislation required individuals to obtain a license from their county government before selling ndengu. Violating this provision would have been considered an offense, with penalties including fines or imprisonment for up to two years.
The Bill also stipulated that licenses would be issued by appointed County Executive Committees (CECs), which would include a chairperson, a representative of mung bean growers, and three public officers from the agriculture department. Each committee was to maintain a register of all registered mung bean growers, detailing the grower’s name, location, parcel size, and variety.
Counties were granted the discretion to establish their own criteria for registering growers. Both the Livestock Bill and the Mung Bean Bill faced pushback from many small-scale farmers during public consultations.
In August, the National Assembly also retracted the Livestock Bill 2024 to allow the State Department of Livestock to conduct thorough public participation.
The rejection at the second reading typically signifies the end of the Bill; however, it may be reintroduced after six months if significant changes or reconsiderations are made by its sponsors to address the concerns that led to its rejection.
