President William Ruto on Friday morning signed three major Bills into law during a ceremony held at State House, Nairobi, introducing new legal frameworks affecting the coffee sector, railway infrastructure, and meteorological services.
The new laws include the Miscellaneous Fees and Levies (Amendment) Act, 2026, the Coffee Act, 2023 (Mediated Version), and the Meteorology Act, 2023.
Coffee Act, 2023
The Coffee Act, 2023 introduces significant reforms aimed at improving the development and regulation of Kenya’s coffee industry.
Under the new law, regulatory and commercial roles previously handled by the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) will be transferred to the Coffee Board of Kenya.
The Coffee Board will now be responsible for:
Processing permits and licence applications
Registering coffee dealers
Overseeing sector policies and development strategies
Collecting and maintaining industry data
Promoting Kenyan coffee locally and internationally
The board will also support the Kenya Coffee Mark of Origin, develop industry standards in collaboration with the Kenya Bureau of Standards, and promote digital marketing to expand coffee markets.
Additionally, the Act creates a Coffee Research and Training Institute, which will take over research functions previously handled by the Coffee Research Institute.
The institute will focus on coffee research, training, disease control, development of new crop varieties, and improving production technologies.
Miscellaneous Fees and Levies (Amendment) Act, 2026
The Miscellaneous Fees and Levies (Amendment) Act, 2026 expands the scope of the Railway Development Levy.
Previously focused mainly on the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), the levy will now support a wider range of railway transport infrastructure projects across the country.
The law also establishes the Railway Development Levy Fund, where all funds collected from the levy will be deposited.
The resources will be used to:
Develop railway infrastructure
Support safety and regulation of railway systems
Rehabilitate existing railway networks
A new Railway Development Fund Board will oversee the management and administration of the fund, including approving budgets and ensuring proper use of resources.
Meteorology Act, 2023
The Meteorology Act, 2023 creates a legal framework for regulating and coordinating meteorological services in Kenya.
The law establishes the Kenya Meteorological Service Authority, which will serve as the main technical adviser to both national and county governments on weather and climate matters.
Key responsibilities of the authority will include:
Managing meteorological data systems
Producing weather forecasts and warnings
Issuing disaster risk advisories
Coordinating meteorological research and development
The Act also creates the Meteorology Training and Research Directorate, which will serve as a World Meteorological Organisation Regional Training Centre offering courses in meteorology and hydrology.
Additionally, the authority will have the mandate to register weather stations, identify observation sites, and collaborate with landowners to install monitoring equipment.
The law also provides intellectual property protection for meteorological data and innovations generated by the authority.
These new laws are expected to strengthen governance and development in key sectors, including agriculture, transport infrastructure, and weather forecasting services in Kenya.
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