President William Ruto has defended his move to import genetically modified organism (GMO) foods.
To back up his case, Ruto disclosed that all the foods that the country has all along been importing has GMO components but which he stated was within the one per cent required by the Kenya bureau of standards (KEBS).
"Ukiambiwa iko less than one percent hiyo ni kusema nini, si ni kusema tu ni GMO...hiyo less than one percent tunalipa 30 to 40 percent more so kuliko kusumbuana na percent ndiyo ulipe gharama nyingi si hiyo ni kukosa mpango?" he posed.
He added, "I cannot put at risk the lives of the people who elected me...I am a scientist, all the scientists in the country are in agreement that GMO has no effects," he said.
Ruto was speaking during a televised media interview at Statehouse Wednesday night.
The president said those opposed to the importation of the product are individuals who are out to distract him from his course to address the food insecurity in the country.
"This is a propaganda peddled by individuals who do not want to see us solve this problem," he added.
He said the whole of South Africa, and the USA were 100 per cent using GMO products yet there are no proven effects on the lives of its people.
"Mimi mwenyewe nimekula chakula ya GMO, lazima tuambiane ukweli...umesikia mtu amemea mapembe, amemea miguu ama ndevu kule South Africa kwa sababu ya kukula GMO?" he went on.
