Bill opens window for plant inspectors to offer services

Private plant specialists could win major concessions if Parliament endorses proposals by the Ministry of Agriculture to liberalise inspection services as part of efforts to boost productivity.

Currently, the task of plant or seed inspection is solely handled by the State-run Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis), which has often been faulted for lacking sufficient workers to handle the job.

“The proposal to incorporate other experts other than those working at Kephis is noble because it will boost the capacity of the industry,” Dr Evans Sikinyi, executive officer of the Seed Trade Association of Kenya told the Business Daily. “Kephis is currently constrained in terms of staffing yet the demand for inspection services is growing.”

In a bid to reverse this anomaly, Agriculture minister Sally Kosgei proposes to open up the service to qualified experts serving outside Kephis.

According to the proposed measures Kephis shall appoint seed inspectors, seed analysts and plant examiners and may authorise competent private or public persons to perform specified functions. The names of those appointed would be published in the national Gazette and their activities monitored from time- to- time by Kephis to ensure high standards are upheld.

“We have many qualified seed and plant experts out here and allowing them to help with the job will boost the agriculture sector,” said Dr Sikinyi.

Kephis has in the recent years witnessed high turnover of specialised staff due to poor remuneration that its managers blamed on lack of a sound legal framework that did not allow for negotiation of salaries based on market rates.

The parastatal currently operates on a restrictive framework having been created under the Ministry of Agriculture through a legal notice. This means salaries for all staff including the highly specialised scientist staff are tied to the less attractive public service scheme, leading to massive flight to better paying private firms.

Faced with this dilemma the government proposes to grant Kephis autonomy that would ensure enhanced research and financing partnerships with international peers.

Kephis has had to endure bureaucratic government procedures that worked against collaboration with other research partners or even raise funds for its operations.

The Agriculture ministry said the incorporation of Kephis through an Act of Parliament would help revise the remuneration scheme as the institution seeks to firm its position as a referral point in Africa.

The proposals envisaged to help Kephis re-invest earnings from service fees into key development and expansion projects.

Kephis currently enjoys good ratings in the region, with its test laboratories in Nairobi being Africa’s main focus point outside South Africa.

The institution scored big in March 2006 when the European Union accredited it to inspect all import consignment of fresh fruit and vegetables entering into its market. According to the arrangement, upon inspection the Certificate of Conformity is issued before consignments are released into circulation in Europe.

The accreditation has also made it easier for Kenyan exporters to facilitate trade in the EU because once certified by Kephis their produce is readily accepted in all markets within the union unlike in the past when such consignments were subject to counter-inspection at their destination markets. The EU is Kenya’s main market for horticultural produce