The National Biosafety Authority (NBA) and African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) have underscored the need to step up public awareness on adoption of modern biotechnology in the Country.
NBA acting Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ann Karimi and AATF Executive Director, Dr. Canisius Kanangire, regretted that the debate on adoption of the technology had been characterized by misinformation and disinformation.
Speaking during a meeting at NBA Headquarters in Nairobi, Dr. Karimi disclosed that the Authority will be embarking on an aggressive public awareness campaign across the Country starting with Kakamega County this month to help Kenya understand the mandate of the Authority as a regulator of GMOs in Kenya.
“We are going out to the public to give them the right information so that Kenyans can make informed decisions,” said Dr. Karimi.
She observed that several African countries such as South Africa and Nigeria among others had taken deliberate efforts to embrace GMOs and therefore Kenya should not be left behind.
She appreciated the support from AATF saying it has gone a long way to promote research in the country in modern biotechnology noting that the partnership between the two institutions will be strengthened further through collaborations.
Dr. Kanangire appreciated the collaboration with the Authority and reaffirmed AATF’s commitment to support joint initiatives in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture.
Dr. Kanangire added that a number of countries around the globe and in Africa have embraced GMOs and urged Kenyans not to be left behind citing Brazil which has improved its food production through the adoption of modern biotechnology.
The Executive Director pointed out Rwanda as a Country that is fast embracing modern biotechnology as well as Tanzania which has expressed interest to adopt modern biotechnologies to improve food production and research.
He emphasized the need to move beyond boardroom discussions and increase field-based engagement so that farmers and stakeholders can directly understand and appreciate biotechnology practices.
“We will be glad to support the seeing is believing initiatives so that various countries can share knowledge on modern biotechnologies,” added Dr. Dr. Kanangire.
The Executive Director raised concerns about ongoing court cases related to GMOs as setback to ongoing research activities in the Country.
The meeting was also attended by Dr. Roy Mugiira, a Senior Programs officer at AATF, Mr. Josphat Muchiri, acting Director, Biosafety Assessment, Awareness and Collaborations at NBA, Mr. Moses Sande, Director Legal Services at NBA, Mr. Abed Mathagu, Manager, Rwanda Agri-Biotech Project (RABP) and Programme Officer, Regulatory Affairs among others.
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
