Ruto has in the past declared support for the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) maize that has been undergoing national trials since 2014.
Speaking at the 4th Annual Biosafety Conference organized by the Kenya National Biosafety Authority (NBA) in Nairobi in 2015, Ruto committed to supporting scientists find solutions to food insecurity in the country.
He at the time promised to rally the government to remove the ban on importation and planting of genetically modified food crops placed in November 2012.
The country succumbed to pressure from ecologists and politicians who advanced that the high-end scientific technology could prove a bane to the country’s food safety.
‘‘Mark my words in a matter of month or two we should be able to be out of the ban, I want to allay any fear from any quarter that there will be any attempt to roll back what has already been achieved,'' Ruto said during the conference.
He pointed out that the dwindling cotton sector, climate change, pests, and diseases attack on staple crops like maize, are a few areas where biotechnology can offer solutions.
Bt maize is genetically modified to include a gene that provides insect protection, hence helping farmers improve yields and control pests without chemical insecticides.
The stem borer alone destroys 12 per cent of the nation’s maize production, while the fall army worm causes an average maize loss of 60 percent, according to research by the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI).
In an exclusive interview with the Star, the executive director of, the Alliance for Science Sheila Ochugboju said Ruto has a broad understanding of plant science, considering that he has a doctorate in Plant Ecology.
Ochugboju said the commercialisation of the Bt maize slated for this year had been delayed by August polls.
''We are just waiting for the new regime to finalise the approval process. Ruto is a strong crusader of biotech and hopes that his government will fast-track the process,'' Ochugboju said.
She said that bio innovation is the solution to poor agricultural yield not only in Africa but globally as trials have shown high nutritional value, high yield and zero pesticides.
'Scientists cannot come up with food innovations that are harmful to themselves and their people. It is high time the continent joins others in the world in embracing biotech to end hunger and health crisis,'' Ochugboju said.
She added that no death or health complication has been linked to GMO crops.
''Ignorance must be weeded out on this topic for Kenya and other countries in the continent to end perennial food shortage, malnutrition and use of harmful pesticides. GMO crops are cheap to produce,'' Ochugboju said.
In June, Kenya completed national performance trials conducted by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis).
James Karanja, principal investigator of the TELA maize project said that Bt maize had completed national performance trials conducted by Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis).
Three varieties were recommended for approval for commercialisation by the National Variety Release Committee.
National Biosafety Authority also approved the three varieties subject to Cabinet approval since they are as safe as their conventional counterparts.
Experts at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (Kalro) say all factors are constant, Bt maize can yield 28-32 bags of maize with high nutritional value compared to 17 bags of non-Bt maize.
Kalro director general Eliud Kireger says Bt Maize is cost-effective as no pesticides are used and that a farmer is in control of all risks including those brought about by climate change.
His sentiments are supported by Ochugboju who dismisses conventional seeds are hugely commercial as producers also want to sell pesticides and fertiliser.
South Africa is the only country in the continent where farmers grow Bt maize. It has been producing a surplus since it allowed the technology in 1997.
It’s already widely grown in the United States and South America and Bt has been used as an insecticide for more than 50 years.
Kenya on other hand is a net importer. In June, the country waived import tax on the grain to avert a shortage that has seen the price of a 2-kilo packet of maize flour rose by over 100 per cent to retail at a high of Sh250 from Sh130 last year.
In 2020, the government imported two million bags of white maize for human consumption and an additional two million bags of yellow maize for animal feed after the country’s strategic grain reserves were contaminated by aflatoxin.
