The Pyrethrum Board of Kenya (PBK)
The Pyrethrum Act of 1964 (Cap340) laid the foundation for the establishment of the Pyrethrum Board, the board was tasked with regulating and developing the pyrethrum industry in the country, which had been in existence since 1928 when the British colonial government introduced pyrethrum cultivation in Kenya.
Agriculture and Food Authority – The Miraa, Pyrethrum and Other Industrial Crops Directorate
The pyrethrum industry underwent upheavals occasioned by its monopolized state under the PBK, which was executing both regulatory and commercial functions. The Ministry of Agriculture initiated structural reforms in 2010 which culminated in the enactment of the Agriculture and Food Authority Act, No. 13 of 2013; The Crops Act, No. 16 of 2013. In line with these agricultural sector reforms, the industry was reorganized by separating the regulatory and commercial functions of the former PBK. In the arrangement, the regulatory functions were ceded to the Directorate under the Agriculture and Food Authority. The commercial functions transferred to the Pyrethrum Processing Company Kenya Limited (PPCK Ltd), one of the players in the value chain. In addition to Pyrethrum, the Directorate’s scope of value chains was expanded to include Miraa and Bixa which were scheduled in 2016 and 2020 respectively.
