A Kisumu High Court has ordered the government to reveal and serve the Ahero Rice Farmers Association with the list of all importers approved and licensed to import 490,000 tonnes of rice within the next seven days.

Justice Alfred Mabeya has issued the orders on Thursday, July 9, 2026, after certifying the application filed by the association as urgent.

In the orders, the Treasury Cabinet Secretary, John Mbadi, and his agriculture counterpart, Mutahi Kagwe, the Agriculture and Food Authority, and the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) should produce all the licensed and prequalified importers and the quantities allocated to each importer.

Further orders

Further, the court has ordered that the four respondents serve the association with the information on the quantities already imported and cleared within the said seven days.

“That the application is certified urgent and for reasons set out in the Certificate, the same is heard ex parte in the first instance; in the meantime, prayer no. 2 is granted as prayed,” Judge Mabeya ordered.

Further, he has also ordered them to serve the petitioner, Ahero Rice Farmers Association, with the customs entry numbers relating to each consignment and all duty exemptions granted to import the duty-free 490,000 tonnes of rice.

The court has also directed the said respondents to provide the petitioner with all import permits and approvals issued and the criteria applied in approving each importer and the balance of the authorised quota of 490,000 metric tonnes remaining under Gazette Notice No. 10061 of July 6, 2026.

In addition, the respondents are required to serve the petitioner with the Cabinet Memoranda, policy papers, stakeholder-consultation reports, records of public participation and economic-impact assessments, if any, preceding the issuance of the said Gazette Notice.

The matter will be mentioned on July 20, 2026, for further directions.