While these foods are increasingly becoming popular across the globe, there is a debate in the scientific community as to whether the foods are safe.
Some people, including scientists, claim GMO food is safe, sustainable, and healthy, while others believe the opposite. The government of Kenya took the latter position in 2012, when it prohibited cultivation of GM crops and the importation of food crops and animal feeds produced through biotechnology innovation.
The GMO ban was based on a study by Gilles-Erie Serelani and seven co-authors who had an article published saying their study linked cancer in rats to the consumption of GMO.
Shortly after publishing, various scientists and scientific organizations criticized the research as methodologically and ethically flawed and in January 2014, the journal retracted the article without the authors’ consent on grounds the research was inconclusive. Still, the Kenya government didn’t lift the ban.
At the same time, opposition to GMO food has remained strong globally, with environmental groups, farmers, and concerned citizens pushing for a complete ban because of feared but not proven risks. The EU previously banned the cultivation of GMO crops but now allows member states to decide.
In North America, a vast majority of crops there are genetically modified, and the US has no official legislation banning GMOs. Most commonly, packaged foods made from sugar, corn, soy, and canola are genetically modified.
In Africa, Algeria and Madagascar have banned GMOs, and in Asia, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Bhutan, and Saudi Arabia. In the Americas, Belize, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela have all banned GMOs.
Kenya was also one of the countries in Africa that banned GMO but one of the first presidential actions taken by President William Ruto was lifting of this ban. In a gazette notice, the government allowed millers and anyone to import maize duty free for six months. The maize can be GMO or organic.
The President based this decision on the drought in the country. One of the advantages of genetically modified maize is it can be resilient in difficult growing conditions, such as drought, or withstand an infestation of weeds or pests to still produce a good yield.
Lifting the ban has been controversial and even intriguing because unlike all other decisions Ruto has made thus far, there is dissent within his own government regarding the decision.
While Trade CS Moses Kuria says its okay for Kenyans to die eating GMO foods — an unbelievable and crude assertion — other known Ruto allies are speaking against lifting the ban.
One of them is Senator Samson Cherargei, who is calling for the gazette lifting the ban and allowing importation of GMO maize to be rescinded. Cherargei and others are not basing their opposition to the lifting of the ban on safety considerations, but on the interests of farmers.
The controversy has escalated to a group of MPs seeking the removal of Kuria as CS because, even before the gazette notice, a ship carrying 10,000 tonnes of maize docked at the Mombasa Port. This led to a suspicion some powerful cartel is behind the lifting of the ban and importation of the maize.
For his part, the President has gone mum since he lifted the ban, leading to speculation he may not be for the decision, but his hand may have been forced.
Given farmers are concerned their crop may be devalued with a flood of GMO maize, it would be prudent for Kuria to rescind the notice lifting the ban on GMO at least until after this season’s harvest.
The National Assembly can then deliberate on whether to keep or lift the ban.
