The Agriculture and Food Authority board of directors has made some managerial changes and appointed Willis Audi as the new director general.
He takes over from Beatrice Nyamwamu.
Until his appointment, Audi was the acting director of Horticulture Crops Directorate after the former HCD director Benjamin Tito was moved to another department three weeks ago.
He was formerly at the Sugar directorate.
According to a senior officer who spoke to the Star, the changes follow a decision by the current AFA board at its third sitting on Monday at AFA headquarters in Nairobi.
The changes have been made in the wake of an outcry associated with the exportation of immature avocados.
This is after a Kenyan living abroad complained on social media about the poor quality of Kenyan avocados being sold in the international market.
The government took immediate action and immediately suspended licenses for two firms due to the claims that they had exported immature avocados.
While announcing suspension of the licenses, Agriculture Principal Secretary Kello Harsama said this was a violation of the regulations that prohibit exportation of immature avocados.
He said the two firms, Real Fresh Exporters Limited and Kandia Fresh Produce’s licenses were suspended to safeguard the huge international market that Kenya is currently enjoying.
“We are aware of companies exporting sub-standard fruits and we are taking action. Recently, I cancelled two import licenses for two companies exporting immature avocados. I visited pack houses involved in the illegal business in Embakasi,” the PS said then.
While announcing the changes, the board noted that AFA management failed to implement regulations that govern and are against supplying low quality avocados.
The senior officer said the board also raised concern on the lack of implementation of other regulations as stipulated in the law.
