KISUMU, Kenya, Jul 9 – The High Court in Kisumu has ordered top government officials to account within seven days for Kenya’s duty-free rice importation programme after Ahero rice farmers challenged the policy, citing lack of transparency and public participation.The court directed the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Economic Planning, the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) to file detailed responses on the implementation of Gazette Notice No. 10061 of July 6, 2026, which authorized the duty-free importation of 490,000 metric tonnes of Grade 1 milled white rice by November 30.In certifying the application as urgent, the court ordered the respondents to disclose extensive records relating to the programme.“The respondents shall, within seven (7) days, file and serve a comprehensive response together with all documents relevant to the implementation of Gazette Notice No. 10061 of 6 July 2026,” Justice Alfred Mabeya ordered on Thursday.The court said the disclosures should include the quantities allocated, imported and cleared under the programme, customs entry numbers, import permits issued, duty exemptions granted and the criteria used to allocate import quotas. It also ordered the State to provide Cabinet memoranda, policy documents, public participation records and economic assessments underpinning the decision.The petition, filed by the Ahero Rice Farmers Association, argues that while the government has a constitutional duty to safeguard national food security, the importation programme must comply with constitutional principles of openness and accountability.While the farmers are not seeking to suspend the programme, they asked the court to compel full disclosure of how the duty-free quota was conceived and allocated.In their petition, they contend that the scheme was introduced without adequate stakeholder engagement.“The applicants do not seek to stop the importation programme but seek transparency and accountability in its implementation, including disclosure of the beneficiaries and the basis upon which the import quotas were allocated,” the court documents state.The farmers further argue that they were excluded from the decision-making process despite the potential impact of duty-free imports on domestic rice producers and market prices. They also want the government to disclose the data and production deficit assessments used to justify the 490,000-tonne quota.The association says previous duty-free import programmes have depressed farm-gate prices, affecting growers in Ahero, Mwea, Bunyala, Tana Delta, Hola, Bura and other rice-producing regions.The matter will be mentioned on July 20 after the State files its responses.