Kephis warns proposed Seed Bill could flood market with fake, uncertified seeds

Kephis Managing Director Theophilus Mutui says the Bill risks lowering seed regulation standards. [File, Standard]

The Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis) has faulted the Seed Bill 2025, warning that it could undermine efforts to protect the country from uncertified planting materials.

Kephis Managing Director Theophilus Mutui cautioned that the Bill, sponsored by Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina, may weaken regulatory safeguards and mislead farmers.

Prof Mutui said that if enacted in its current form, the Bill risks lowering certification standards, creating loopholes in seed regulation, and ultimately flooding the market with counterfeit seeds.

The Seeds and Plant Varieties (Amendment) Bill 2025 seeks to fast-track farmers' access to improved seed varieties by introducing a shorter approval process through the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS).

It also proposes a new registration system that would operate independently of the current Kephis process, which has been criticised as slow and bureaucratic.

Kephis board chairman Joseph M'Eruaki warned farmers against buying or planting uncertified seeds as the short rains approach, cautioning that fake seeds will result in poor yields.

He stressed that those found selling counterfeit seeds will face prosecution, noting that seed integrity is vital for national food security.

"As the short rains approach, farmers should be on the lookout for fake seeds because they threaten national food security," he said in a statement yesterday.

Kitui County Commissioner Kipchumba Rutto pledged enforcement support, saying the county will work closely with the agency to eliminate fake seeds from the market.

Mutui announced that Kephis, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has secured a new horticultural export market in Mayotte Island.