GMO concerns must be addressed, say medics

Dr Brenda Obondo CEO, Kenya Medical Association (KMA) said medics have noted the health concerns that Kenyans have raised around GMOS and that in two months' time, they will be disseminating information to the public based on research and evidence.

The policy paper is meant to guide the public and the government on the direction they should take or the systems that should be put in place.

She spoke on Friday during a consultative meeting with the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists Dentists Union (KMPDU) and biotechnology experts under the Kenya University Biotechnology Consortium (KUBICO).

Obondo said the consultative meeting marks the beginning of a journey of demystifying and getting to understand and gain key insights on GMOs.

“This meeting was birthed from a point that since the ban on GMOs was lifted in October, the medical practitioners have not had the opportunity to gain knowledge and make a policy statement," she said.

"We have sat around the table to discuss the various health concerns that have been raised around GMOs. We are making a step towards developing a policy statement together and disseminating information to the public based on research and evidence that is currently available."

Dr Davji Bhimji Atella KMPDU National secretary general said the union believes in science which is based on facts and evidence.

“Healthcare is fundamental. We, therefore, want to come up with a strong stand on GMOs once we understand every aspect scientifically and factually,” Atella said.

Joel Ochieng the head of the Agricultural Biotechnology programme at the University of Nairobi noted that there is a lot of information lacking amongst experts in other fields and also the public.

“We have homegrown solutions and we are developing some products within Kenya such as BT maize," Ochieng who is also the consortium’s secretary general said.

"This has been developed and it is supposed to have gone to the farmers for cultivation if there were no court cases filed against that. The court process is on and we respect that.

"We are hoping that we will be vindicated because the scientific evidence available has shown that there is no single safety concern about BT products or crops. There are only a few concerns being raised in social dimensions such as farm rights which have been adequately addressed by safety Acts."

He explained that the BT maize product not only improves and restores the yield but also improves food safety.

“This is because once you control the stem borer pest you are also blocking the entry point for the fungus that causes aflatoxin, improving food safety," Ochieng said.   

Dr Stella Bosire from KMA said the public concern is a big issue for health care practitioners.

“We take care of the public so we must be able to ensure that there are no co-relations or there is nothing that is likely to increase the risk of patients,” Bosire said.

She said the data that is available will guide the policy statement which will also have recommendations.

Bosire said the concerns expressed by Kenyans on GMOs are legit and that doctors have heard them.

“Our work is bound by an oath of doing no harm. We will ensure that decisions are made based on the right information and facts, and find out if there is any risk that will come out,” she said.

“For the last 18 years, we have been doing research on GM at Kenyatta University and in four critical local institutions. As a result, we need the public to know that we are also Kenyans and we would not harm them,” Prof Richard Oduor, Registrar of Research at Kenyatta University said.

He said data on the safety of GMOs is there and people are free to ask queries.

"If there is any concern that will require more research, we will be available to do it," he said.

"I call upon the government to hasten steps and now figure out how courts can hasten the process and lift the ban so that we can enjoy GMO foods the way we are enjoying the GM drugs."