Gov't assures National Biosafety Authority of support in GMO regulation

Speaking at Kilimo House on Thursday during a courtesy call by a delegation from Senegal's National Biosafety Authority, the Director of Crop Resources, Agribusiness and Market Development, Douglas Kangi, who represented the Principal Secretary for the State Department for Agriculture, Dr. Paul Ronoh, said the NBA plays a critical role in helping Kenya achieve food and nutrition security.

Kangi said Kenya continues to face agricultural challenges, including recurring droughts and pest infestations, which have affected productivity across the agricultural value chain

"As a country, we continue to face challenges such as drought and pest infestations. As a Ministry, we have a responsibility to ensure that all Kenyans are food secure. However, productivity across the agricultural value chain remains low, which is why we are embracing emerging technologies to bridge these gaps," he said.

He urged the Authority to intensify public awareness campaigns to address misinformation and disinformation surrounding GMOs, saying negative public perception continues to undermine public confidence in biotechnology.

"There is still a negative public perception of GMOs. As a Ministry, we will continue to support your public awareness efforts across the country," Kangi added.

He also welcomed the growing collaboration between Kenya and Senegal on biosafety matters and called for the development of a continental framework to harmonise GMO regulation and strengthen biosafety governance across Africa.

The Senegalese delegation was led by Director General Prof. Aliou Ndiaye and included General Secretary Dr. Colonel Lamine Kane and Ms. Aïssatou Ndiaye. They were received by the National Biosafety Authority, led by Acting Chief Executive Officer Dr. Ann Karimi, alongside Directors Josphat Muchiri and Nehemiah Ngetich.

Dr. Karimi thanked the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development for its continued support in advancing the Authority's mandate of ensuring the safe development, transfer, handling and use of genetically modified organisms in Kenya.

Prof. Ndiaye said the benchmarking visit had provided the Senegalese delegation with valuable insights into Kenya's biosafety regulatory framework and expressed appreciation for the strong partnership between the two countries.

The visit aims to facilitate the exchange of knowledge on Kenya's biosafety legal, policy and institutional frameworks, GMO application review processes, risk assessment, inspection, post-approval monitoring and laboratory testing. It will also showcase Kenya's management of confined field trials while identifying areas for collaboration, capacity building and possible formal cooperation between the two biosafety authorities.