When Kenya banned imports of genetically modified organisms, it was one of the most comprehensive moves against GM crops outside of Europe. Kenya has never permitted commercial cultivation of such organisms.

Many African countries, including Kenya, are more closely aligned with cautious Europe rather than with the United States when it comes to the globally contentious issue of genetically modified (GM) crops and foods.

Kenya’s cabinet, in a meeting chaired by former President Mwai Kibaki in November 2012, ordered the ban until the country is able to certify that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have no negative health effects.

“The ban will remain in effect until there is sufficient information, data, and knowledge demonstrating that GMO foods are not a danger to public health,” reads a statement from the cabinet,according to SciDev.Net. The last move in Kenya related to GMOs was in 2009, when it became the fourth African country to sign a Biosafety Act, establishing a body to monitor GMOs in the country and legalizing the commercial cultivation of GMO crops. The act also paved the way for greater development of research fields for GMO crops.

But while commercial cultivation was legalized, the biosafety authority has never actually approved any applications for commercial growth; November’s ban again outlawed commercial cultivation. 

Meanwhile, Romano Kiome, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, told SciDev.Net that last year’s ban is illegitimate, because the biosafety authority must approve such a ban—the cabinet does not have the authority without such approval to implement the ban. But the ban appears to still be in effect.

Field trials of some crops—sweet potatoes, maize, a vaccine, and cotton—have been happening in Kenya since 1998. Further, researchers are prepared to start field trials of a GM banana variety in 2014 and are currently studying cassava, a new type of maize, and sorghum GM varieties.

Is GM Food Necessary in Kenya?

Outside of South Africa, African countries have been leery to get very involved with GMOs. 

Kenya’s ban came after the release of a controversial study by French scientist Gilles-Eric Séralini that linked cancer in rats to consumption of GM foods. The study recommends that GMOs and related pesticides be evaluated in the long-term to measure toxic effects.

There is a “lack of sufficient information on the public health impact of [GM] foods,” said Kenya’s cabinet in a statement.

However, the cabinet chair at the time and some members have been replaced, and the ban could be lifted. “We hope the new cabinet will lift the ban,” said Dr. Willy Kiprotich Tonui, CEO of the National Biosafety Authority (NBA). 

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Photo: Small farmers in Kenya. (Flickr/mckaysavage)