Civil Society Organisations on Thursday condemned the lifting of the GMO ban saying it will disadvantage local organic farmers.
This comes after President William Ruto on Monday, October 3, vacated the ban on GMOs following a cabinet meeting.
The ban was imposed on November 21, 2012, during the era of former President Mwai Kibaki.
According to the Kenya Organic Agricultural Network team leader Eustus Kiarie, lifting the ban means Kenya’s global market for organic export would largely be affected.
“Our main export market is the European Union, and by allowing GMOs which are not allowed in the EU will greatly affect our relations,” Kiarie said.
The EU fears that GMOs have the potential to cause harm to human and animal health and ecosystems, as well as a dramatic reduction in plant diversity.
He said Kenya should keep to its organic standard.
Lifting the ban, they say, means it risks having to decertify farmers and increasing the oversight impositions on growers and deterring farmers from producing organic produce.
Kiarie said he did not believe the standard needed changing and warned of the dangers of doing so.
The memo by Ruto indicated that by dint of the executive action, open cultivation and importation of White (GMO) maize is now authorized.
A survey conducted by the Route to Food Initiative, in December 2021 showed that a majority of Kenyans, 57 per cent, are not willing to consume GMOs.
This move has raised eyebrows across various organisations both regionally and across the globe.
