It will soon be a crime for farmers to keep bees for commercial purposes without registering with the government if the Bill before Parliament becomes law.
In another move by the Jubilee government of making laws that have no front or behind, those who will keep bees without registering will face a fine of 500,000 shillings, go to jail for one year or face both under the Livestock Bill 2021.
“A person shall not keep bees for commercial purposes unless in an apiary registered under this Act, own or possess bees or keeping equipment for commercial purposes unless the person is registered under this Act,” the State-backed Bill reads.
Read More: Rwanda Approves Growing Of Marijuana For Medical Purposes
According to the Bill, a person who intends to be registered as a beekeeper shall apply to the county executive committee member responsible for livestock in the prescribed manner. “A certificate of registration issued under this section shall be valid for a period of one year from the date of issue.”
The Bill also stops a person from allowing bees to be kept on land owned or occupied by the person unless the land is registered under the Act as the location of an apiary.
Read More: Money Is In Honey, Utilize Your Land And Smile To The Bank
“The county executive member for livestock shall if satisfied that the applicant meets the requirement of registration prescribed in regulations, register the applicant and issue the applicant certificate of registration in the prescribed form,” the Bill states.
The Bill stipulates that the certificate of registration shall be valid for a period of one year from the date of issue.
“A person who becomes a beekeeper only because of the ownership, or the charge, care or possession or bees kept in a device of an approved kind and used for purposes of pollination of the crop, is not required to be registered under this section if the bees and device are disposed of in the prescribed manner within eight weeks after the person becomes a beekeeper in relation to them,” Amos Kimunya who sponsored the Bill said.
Read More: Did You Know That Bee Venom Is More Expensive Than Gold?