NAIROBI, Kenya – The government, through the National Biosafety Authority (NBA), is currently conducting a countrywide sensitisation programme on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) even as it moves to assure the public that the bioengineered foods are safe for both human and animal consumption.
NBA is a state corporation in Kenya established under the Biosafety Act No. 2 of 2009 to exercise general supervision and control over the transfer, handling, and use of GMOs. Its primary objective is to safeguard human and animal health while ensuring adequate protection of the environment from potential risks associated with modern biotechnology.
Dr. Ann Karimi, NBA acting CEO, who urged the public to disregard misinformation surrounding the technology, says the authority is currently conducting nationwide public awareness forums that are free to the public and seek to help the organisation to continue with these discussions and conversations around GMOs.
“Our main goal is to ensure that every Kenyan is armed with information that is neutral and allows them to make decisions whether to adopt the technology or not. But let the technology be one of the solutions around food security,” explains Dr. Karimi.
NBA to pitch a tent in Uasin Gishu County
For instance, this week, the NBA will pitch a tent in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, for the “Kicking Out Misinformation on GMOs” sensitisation event. The event to be held at the Eldoret Sports Club will also include the Wazee Premier League tournament, with members of the public getting an opportunity to learn more about GMOs.
On his part, NBA chairman David Wamatsi says the government is committed to ensuring food security through science-driven solutions and expert guidance.
“The Authority is positioning itself to diversify funding opportunities, strengthen collaborations, and sustainably deliver on its mandate of protecting human, animal, and environmental health through effective biosafety regulation,” explains Wamatsi.
Dr. Karimi further discloses that the authority is keen to have the youth be their ambassadors.
“As an authority, we want our youths to realise the role that the NBA occupies when matters of regulation are concerned, and the message is that GMOs that are approved by the NBA are safe. They have undergone very rigorous tests, and they continue to be monitored and surveyed to ensure that we have a big stock of ambassadors who really understand matters of GMO, especially at the Bukura Agricultural Institute because it is a leading learning institution that offers a course in biotechnology, and we hope that as an organisation we shall be able to step up the manpower development in the area of biotechnology by working with such institutions,” adds Dr. Karimi.
Experts in push for biotechnology innovations
This is even as stakeholders in the biotechnology sector note that Kenya continues to experience challenges, including food insecurity, climate change and destructive crop pests which have negatively affected agricultural production across the country.
On the other hand, scientists and researchers continue to showcase biotechnology innovations aimed at improving crop yields, enhancing pest resistance and strengthening climate resilience while addressing concerns about the safety and regulation of GMOs.
Common misconceptions about GMOs often stem from confusion regarding how modern biotechnology works. Major scientific bodies confirm that commercial GMOs are just as safe as conventionally bred crops. They undergo over a decade of rigorous testing by regulatory agencies like the USDA before reaching the market.
Inside the most persistent myths surrounding GMOs
Many of the most persistent myths surrounding GMOs are easily debunked by scientific consensus and agricultural data:
- Myth: GMOs are unsafe to eat and cause diseases like cancer. Reality: After decades on the market, comprehensive reviews by the American Medical Association and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have found no evidence linking GMO foods to allergies, cancer, or any other unique health risks.
- Myth: Genetic modification leads to higher pesticide use. Reality: Some GMO crops are engineered for natural insect resistance, which has actually led to a roughly 37% reduction in global chemical pesticide usage. Herbicide-tolerant GMOs also reduce the need for soil-disrupting weed tilling.
- Myth: GMOs are purely corporate schemes and not natural. Reality: GMO traits are heavily utilised by public sector institutions and smallholder farmers to improve food security and nutrition in developing nations. In fact, developing nations cultivate more transgenic crops than industrialised countries.
- Myth: All fruits and vegetables that look unique are GMOs. Reality: Many innovative, unusual, or seedless foods are products of traditional breeding techniques and are Non-GMO Project Verified. Currently, very few commercially approved GM crops exist (primarily corn, soybeans, cotton, canola, sugar beets, alfalfa, papaya, and squash).
Addressing GMOs through awareness creation
Director of Legal Services at the NBA, Moses Sande, notes that the country needs technologies that can help reduce crop and livestock losses to droughts, diseases and other challenges that are brought about by climate change.
Sande also says that awareness creation is necessary to address the misconceptions surrounding GMOs and prepare the country for future food challenges.
“There is quite a bit of misinformation and misconceptions about GMOs, but we want to assure Kenyans that the reason why we have the NBA in place, set up by the government with well-staffed scientists who are well qualified, is to ensure that any GMO that is out there in the market is safe for all Kenyans,” Sande explains.
NBA reaches out to Kenyans as the GMO debate rages on
In his own words, the legal officer further says that:
“Whenever a trader or a researcher wants to put their GMO products on the market, they first must seek approval from the NBA. We check and inspect to ensure that the product is certified by the NBA and that it is safe for public consumption.”
As debate around GMOs rages on, the authority is urging Kenyans to take a fresh look at the technology with climate change threatening agricultural productivity and food demand on the rise.
Questions have been raised in public discourse about whether science offers a solution many are yet to embrace. However, NBA observes that climate change, crop diseases and a growing population have made it necessary for the country to embrace innovative agricultural technologies.
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