The Department of Agriculture in Busia County has completed the process of public participation that brought together different stakeholders to discuss bills that will enable various directorates in the Department to carry out their mandate effectively.
According to Count Executive Committee Member in Charge of Agriculture Dr. George Mukok, the legal framework in the Agriculture sector has not been clear on what to do with the financial support they have been receiving from partners.
In an interview after Day Two of public participation, Dr. Mukok noted that for the Department to move forward, there was a need to work on the Departmental policies and legal framework.
“Governor Dr. Paul Otuoma’s manifesto and the Ward manifesto of revitalising the agricultural sector, we realised that we have been receiving financial support, but the legal framework area was not clear, which means that for us to move forward, we needed to work very hard on policies and the legal framework,” said Dr. Mukok.
Mukok revealed that among the proposed bills that were being discussed were the Agriculture Training Centre (ATC) bill, the mechanisation bill, the subsidy bill, and the County Agriculture Sector Coordination Mechanism (CASCOM) bill, adding that there was a need for some of the activities being implemented by the department to be anchored in law to regulate its operations.
He noted that there are so many players in the sector that are not accountable, and the purpose of the bills is to bring the operations under one roof governed by law.
“There are so many players that are not accountable, and with these laws, we will bring everybody under one roof through laws, and for us to get there, we must start with public participation,” adding, “We receive donations from the national government and other NGOs, but is it structured? For example seeds, we want a mechanism where it reaches the end user, so we need country-specific laws.”
He also noted that the Department has released tractors in preparation for short rains, starting with Teso North, before they move to other parts of the County.
As a Department, the CECM said they are embarking on a vaccination process for livestock from July 9 to 24, 2024, urging farmers to prepare for that.
The Chairperson of Agriculture and Animal Recourses County Assembly of Busia, Ms. Beatrice Kanoti, noted that with these bills in place, it will fast-track the work of the legislatures, adding that the four bills and one regulation upon enactment will help in managing the resources that come to the County.
“These laws will regulate and minimise the duplication of programmes in some areas. They will also guide partners where they are based, and by doing so, everybody in Busia will be able to benefit from these projects, “she said, promising to pass the bills into law on the house floor.
Mr. Brian Itemesi Sande, the Project Officer for Practical Action Busia County, representing a youth-based programme named Resilient Agriculture that works for the youth, promised to support what the department is doing to make the department work effectively.
Ms. Jessica Wanyonyi from Africa Harvest, representing a drought-tolerant project for youths’ job creation, supported the formation of the bills, adding that they will address some of the issues affecting youth and young women.
“The regulations that will come out of it will address some of the challenges that are affecting youths and young women, and even as we formulate and come up with these regulations, we see how women and youths can be incorporated into how to be engaged in matters of agriculture,” she said.
By Absalom Namwalo
