Kenya urges uniform Comesa ban on hazardous pesticides

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe during the 9th Joint Comesa ministerial meeting on agriculture, natural resources and environment in Lusaka on Friday. [Courtesy]

Kenya is now calling for a regional crackdown on hazardous pesticides within the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) bloc.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has warned that the continued use of chemicals banned in some member states is compromising food safety, public health, and the integrity of regional agricultural trade.

The CS made the remarks during the 9th Joint Comesa ministerial meeting on agriculture, natural resources and environment in Lusaka on Friday.

At the same time, Kagwe called for the immediate harmonisation of chemical safety standards and the enforcement of collective prohibitions on dangerous substances across all member states.

"The current situation where a pesticide banned in one country continues to be used next door completely undermines our collective sanitary and phytosanitary efforts. We are exposing our farmers, our consumers, and our markets to unnecessary and unacceptable risk," said the CS.

According to Kagwe, effective regional food safety cannot be achieved without a common regulatory approach.

"Lack of consistency allows unscrupulous traders to exploit gaps in enforcement, contributing to widespread contamination and the erosion of consumer trust in local and regional food systems," he told the meeting.

The CS said countries should not allow fragmented policies to stand in the way of the people's safety, emphasising the urgency of harmonising chemical standards in the region.

He also declared Kenya's readiness to support regional reforms, calling for bold leadership to transform Comesa from a "talk shop" into a functional platform for economic development, agricultural resilience, and food independence.

Other proposals from Kenya during the meeting included the sharing of agricultural technologies such as livestock vaccines, the development of protocols for cross-border trade in certified seeds, and digital innovations for agricultural planning.

But the strongest message remained clear: the time to act on hazardous agrochemicals is now.

"Let this meeting be remembered not for what we discussed, but for what we dared to do," Kagwe stated.

Comesa comprises 21 member states, namely Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

In June, the government announced a crackdown in the country on harmful pesticides, withdrawing 77 products from the market and restricting the use of 202 more in a move aimed at safeguarding public health, food safety, and the environment.

CS Kagwe said the move followed the ministry's comprehensive review of pesticide active ingredients currently registered in the Kenyan market.

This was undertaken by the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB), which is mandated to ensure all Pest Control Products (PCPs) authorised for use in the country are safe for human health and the environment.

Following scientific assessments and stakeholder consultations, he said, the review identified certain active ingredients and associated end-use products that pose unacceptable risks to human health, crops, livestock, and the environment.

"As a result, we have taken decisive regulatory action to withdraw 77 end-use products from the Kenyan market and to restrict the use of 202 products on various crops," the CS said.

He noted that a further 151 products are under review by the PCPB, with a decision on their approval expected by December 2025, during which time their use or importation remains prohibited until the end of the process.

The CS also said that the Ministry has reviewed the Draft Pest Control Products Bill to enhance the regulation of PCPs, which was approved by Cabinet.