President William Ruto on Friday, March 13, assented to three Parliamentary Bills at State House, Nairobi.
The three legislations include the Miscellaneous Fees and Levies (Amendment) Act, 2026, the Coffee Act, 2023 (Mediated Version), and the Meteorology Act, 2023.
The Coffee Act, 2023, which was sponsored by Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah, provides for the development and regulation of the coffee industry in Kenya.
It reorganises the coffee sector by transferring the regulatory and commercial roles currently undertaken by the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) to the Coffee Board of Kenya.
The Miscellaneous Fees and Levies (Amendment) Act, 2026, on the other hand, amends Section 8 of the Miscellaneous Fees and Levies Act to expand the scope of the Railway Development Levy to support a broader range of railway transport infrastructure beyond the construction and operation of the Standard Gauge Railway.
The amended Act establishes the Railway Development Levy Fund, into which all funds collected from the Railway Development Levy will be paid.
Under the new law, proceeds from the levy may also be used to support the safety and economic regulation of railway infrastructure, as well as the rehabilitation of existing railway systems.
Meanwhile, the Meteorology Act, 2023, establishes a legislative framework to regulate meteorological services in Kenya and to coordinate and monitor their delivery.
The new law establishes the Kenya Meteorological Service Authority, which will serve as the principal technical adviser to both national and county governments on meteorological matters.
The Authority will be responsible for establishing and maintaining meteorological management systems for data processing, analysis, forecasting, and archiving.
It will also prepare and disseminate weather forecasts, issue advisories and warnings for disaster risk reduction through a variety of early warning systems, and develop curricula and training programmes in meteorology aligned with international standards.
In addition, the Authority will register weather stations for meteorological data collection and coordinate research and development in meteorology.
