The government, through the National Biosafety Authority, has given an assurance on the safety of the Genetically Modified Organism (GMO), stating that they are safe for consumption.
Speaking after visiting the Busia One-Stop Border Post together with the Board of Directors, the Authority’s Ag. CEO Nehemiah Ng’etich, said that the government has put in place measures that ensure the safety of GMO products for consumption.
“We have been doing thorough risk assessments that are scientifically based on international standards and as per the Biosafety Act. What has gone through the process of GMO will be safe as its conventional counterpart because of the thorough risk assessment that we do,” he said.
Ngetich singled out BI cotton as the only GMO product that has been allowed to be produced in the country, adding that the process of approving other products was underway.
“Currently, we have only one GMO product in the country, which is BT cotton, which was approved in 2020 and is with the farmers. We also have other products that are still in the process of being approved. We have the BT maize, which is at the final stage of reaching the farmers, cassava, and a variety of potato, which have gone through thorough risk assessment,” he said.
He expressed his concerns about the increase of misinformation among the public on GMO products, stating that they have initiated public awareness to address the concerns.
“There is a lot of misinformation about GMO in the country that anything big is a GMO product. The product can only be identified as GMO after being tested. We are rolling out a public awareness programme all over the country so that we can educate our people to understand the importance of these products and to tame the misinformation in the public,” he said.
The Ag. Director of Biosafety Research and Compliance, Josphat Muchiri, echoed the CEO’s sentiment, adding that the government has laid proper regulation for the safety.
“Kenya has a very robust regulatory system for over- sighting GMOs. We are guided by the international guidance, particularly the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, National Biotechnology Policy, and the Biosafety Act, among other policies that support our operations,” he said.
Muchiri added that the government has put in place enough systems to ensure that any GMO that would be released by the National Biodiversity Authority is safe, and there should be no concern in terms of consumption by humans and animals.
Asteria Angolo from the Authority said that the authorities are determined to ensure that the safety of the citizens is guaranteed.
“We are there to ensure that the GMO products are not in the market without being assessed. Our work is to ensure your safety, and we are determined to ensure that all the required regulations are adhered to so that our food is safe for consumption,” he said.
Busia Women Cross Border Traders Association chairperson Florence Atieno urged the authority to ensure they harmonize the policy and carry out more sensitization.
“We are doing trade at the border with different countries; our urge is that you ensure the policies that are in place are in line with the policies in the neighboring country so that we can freely do the business. There is a need to do more sensitization because these business people don’t understand the GMO issues,” she said.
By Salome Alwanda and Rodgers Omondi
