Kenya: Manufacturers join trade case
East African Standard (Nairobi) | 27 October 2007
Kenya: Manufacturers Join Trade Case
Jibril Adan
Nairobi
The stage is set for a battle pitting small-scale farmers against manufacturers and exporters of fresh produce.
On Friday, the Kenya Association of Manufacturers and Kenya Fresh Produce Exporters Association applied and were included in the case as interested parties to support the Government against the farmers and the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC).
Justice Joseph Nyamu certified the case as urgent and asked the plaintiff’s lawyer, Mr James Orengo, to serve the defendants.
The judge said the issues raised were weighty.
"The application raises the weighty issue of participation," said Justice Nyamu.
The farmers contend that the Economic Partnerships Agreement (EPA), to be signed in December, will make Kenyans poorer.
Orengo said he expected many more interested organisations would join the case.
The Kenya Small-Scale Farmers Forum lodged a case on Thursday to challenge and stop the State from signing a trade pact with the European Union.
In the case, the plaintiffs raise the issue of lack of participation of both the public and Parliament in the negotiations leading to the signing of the agreement which they perceive to be unjust.
The deal would force developing countries to open up their markets to competition from developed countries.
The plaintiffs have likened the EPA to the Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAP) that were forced on Kenya by the Bretton Woods institutions and that were partly blamed for the poor performance of the economy in the 90’s.
British Charity Action Aid says the pact would have a disastrous effect on developing economies. It estimates that it would leave 750 million people poorer.
The EPA is expected to be signed in December between African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and the European Union and would force Kenya to open up its market to competition from subsidized products from Europe.
There is fear that African countries may sign the pact under duress since Europe is threatening to impose penalties on nations that would not have signed the agreement by December.
The case will be mentioned on November.
