No one will be allowed to package tomatoes in boxes bigger than 110kg, Governor Joseph ole Lenku said on Tuesday.
The governor said the order was meant to protect tomato farmers from exploitation by brokers.
He directed county officials to impound any vehicles transporting tomatoes in huge boxes.
"I am directing concerned officers to impound any vehicles ferrying tomatoes in these illegal boxes. The law the county passed in 2015 that tomatoes must be packaged in 110kg boxes must be obeyed," said Mr Lenku.
"I am shocked that some people are packaging tomatoes in boxes as big as 210kg. We will not allow brokers to give farmers raw deals. We are determined to protect our tomato growers from exploitation," he added.
“We shall double our revenue if we package tomatoes in smaller boxes. We have been losing a lot of revenue because farmers are forced to pack the tomatoes in bigger boxes."
Lenku gave the orders when he addressed members of the Rombo Farmers Co-operative Society in Kajiado South. The farmers had complained about exploitation by the brokers.
The governor's directive is likely to affect the tomato business, which is thriving in Kajiado South and Kajiado East constituencies.
Two years ago, some farmers went to court to challenge the law on tomato packaging, claiming they were not consulted.
The farmers wanted the county government stopped from implementing the law on packaging restrictions citing pressure from brokers.
Tomato pluckers
Koisinet ole Nchama, a farmer, said the big boxes, commonly known as “turbo”, also gave tomato pluckers a raw deal.
"Pluckers are paid per box. Yet the unit of sale is double the quantity of the ordinary box,” he said.
James Mutiso, who has 35 acres of land under tomatoes, said a lorry carried up to 35 turbo boxes compared to 65 normal-sized boxes.
“We know some of you are in court over the same law we want you to apply. We urge you to support it because we must stop the politics that might have led to the court case,” said Mr Lenku.
