Scientists upbeat as more State actors jump aboard GMO wagon

Demonstrators in support of GMO take part in peaceful procession seeking to give a voice to the ongoing debate on the Government move to lift a ban on GMOs in Nairobi on February 10, 2023. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

The debate on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is gaining traction as more politicians jump onto the cart and spread awareness of the controversial technology.

John Kanyuithia, a Member of Parliament who is also an environmental scientist, says that while he was vehemently opposed to the idea a decade ago, he now feels "this is the best biotechnological advancement" Kenya could use to drag millions out of drought and poverty.

People fear the output and outcome of GMO cultivation and use, he said during a recent forum on GMOs in Naivasha.

And yet 70 per cent of the country's rural population depends on agriculture and almost all of them on rain-fed cultivation.

But failing rains amid global climate change means that even slightly over 10 per cent of the land that is arable is at high risk of significantly reduced productivity.

Speaking during the National Biosafety Authority's (NBA) Annual Biosafety Conference, Tigania West MP Kanyuithia, who also chairs the National Assembly Agriculture committee, said that the faster the GMO adoption happens, the safer the country will be on food, with over 4.5 million people from 19 counties facing starvation.

But a succession of court cases has prevented any notable progress in GMO adoption and use.

Since the government lifted the decade-long ban in October 2022, opponents have run to seek legal redress and frustrate GMO proponents.

When the ban was slapped in 2012, scientists who were for biotechnology furiously claimed that the government's reaction was emotive and knee-jerk.

President William Ruto's government oversaw the removal of the ban soon after taking power, suddenly sparking varied reactions including the aforementioned court cases.

Oscar Magenya, the agriculture, research and innovation Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture says promotion techniques that support agriculture in arid and semi-arid lands (Asals) are the key to unlocking the country's economic potential. "We will never achieve sustained economic growth and progress without the involvement of Asals," he said.

"To achieve food security, as is noted in the 10-year agricultural sector transformation and growth strategy (2019-2029), we require a vibrant, commercial and modern agricultural sector."

Scientists insist that Kenya has a robust policy and legal framework to guide the use of cutting-edge scientific applications for the benefit of citizens in a safe and sustainable manner.

And as legislators join in demystifying the GMOs, scientists are calling for radical policy adoption to support the proliferation of research, importation and use of GMOs.

"Structures without policy will not influence change," said Silas Obukosia, the principal programme officer at African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa's Development (AUDA-NEPAD).

Lack of proper communication - and miscommunication - have been blamed for hampering progress.

NBA Chief Executive Roy Mugiira decried the lack of accurate information which has led to "panic and mistrust" of governance institutions in the country.

"I strongly encourage all actors, including government officials, industry, academia, the scientific community, media, farmers, consumers and civil society to candidly share their experiences and expectations," he said.

Information synthesisation and subsequent passing to the younger generation could boost acceptance of GMOs, said Kanyuithia.

"The products of genetic engineering can be seen, can be verified and we can know the effects on the environment and on humans, and they are safe," he said.

"Where there is no safety, scientists are able to know. Anything that is under any restrictions is held back by protocols signed."

Crop Development Principal Secretary Phillip Kerro said genetic transformation, marker-aided selection and breeding have profound implications in advanced nations.

Developing countries should make strides to get there, he said. "The use of biotechnology in agriculture is now being practised in many countries globally. The global acreage of biotech crops stands at over 189.8 million acres," he said.

"In Africa, other than South Africa and Sudan, 11 countries sustained biotech crop research."

Food insecurity

Martin Mwirigi, a research scientist at Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Institute (Kalro), said as more is done in biotechnology to improve agriculture, so should tools used for cultivation catch up with the times.

"Food insecurity in this country is a huge problem and amid global problems such as inflation, the poor are becoming more vulnerable by the day. More mechanisation needs to be adopted," he said.

NBA Chairman Joseph Chavutia praised Kenya's "robust biosafety regulatory framework", saying the NBA board had gone on to consider and approve a number of GMO projects at the research and commercial level.

Richard Oduor, the registrar for research, innovation and outreach at Kenyatta University and chairman of Kenya University Biotech Consortium, asked for positive communication on GMOs to counter false information and to attract a more youthful population into agriculture as most farmers are over 60 years of age.

Last year, as livestock faced starvation, a desperate Association of Kenya Feed Manufacturers (Akefema) called for swift government intervention to help boost feed production. "Some of the ingredients required to develop animal feeds are 90 per cent to 100 per cent genetically modified," Oduor said.

"It is important for the government to appreciate that we need agricultural biotechnology for many other things. It is the next frontier."