Kenya govt wants to impose GMOs ‘by force’

According to the Hansard record, Mr Muriuki had filed the notice in parliament on June 26. But a day later, the government — through Dr Sally Kosgey, the Minister for Higher Education, Science and Technology — published Biosafety Bill 2008 under Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 48 (Bills No. 15).

There are now suspicions that the government is determined to push through an unpopular Bill and that the ministers’ demonstrated support for introduction of GMOs is a prelude to full introduction of the technology.

“They want to do it by force, the so-called national awareness strategy is a mere gimmick,” said Josphat Ngonyo of the Africa Network for Animal Welfare. Mr Ngonyo said KBioC, of which he is a member, has attempted to get the agriculture minister to listen to its side of the GMO story to no avail. KBioC is anumbrella body representing over 50 farmers’ groups, religious organisations, consumer organisations and NGOs.

Other developments also seem to point to the fact that the country could be gearing up for the full introduction of these foods. For instance, during a field day staged by the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) at its Kiboko field station on September 5, it emerged that the Insect Resistant Maize for Africa Project (IRMA), KARI and the International Maize and Wheat Centre (CIMMYT) are preparing to release genetically modified maize to Kenyan farmers between 2010 and 2011.

According to posters displayed during the field day, the genetically modified maize being tested will be “pre-released” to farmers in 2010 and will later be released “on a large-scale” in 2011.

This writer saw rows of maize plants in the KARI farm that were clearly labelled GMO and received confirmation from the head of KARI’s Biotechnology Centre, Dr Simon Gichuki, that besides Kiboko, KARI is testing GM crops in Alupe, Busia, Kabete and Mwea.

Located in Kibwezi district some four-hours drive along Nairobi-Mombasa highway, Kiboko is part of KARI’s overall network of 22 research stations.

According to the posters displayed by KARI, much of the core funding for the IRMA project comes from Syngenta Foundation, Melinda & Bill Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. The project focuses on the development of maize varieties that are alleged to have an in-built ability to protect themselves from pests without any chemical being sprayed.

This is the bt-maize, which the project terms “a type of genetically modified maize that uses a gene from common soil bacterium (Bacillus thurigiensis), that produces insecticidal proteins that protects the plant against stem borers.

“Here is evidence that all the activities and the announcements by top government officials, some scientists and pro-GMO lobby are to prepare the country for this eventuality in 2010,” said Mr Ngonyo.

But one of the leading proponents of genetic engineering in Kenya, Dr Florence Wambugu, told The EastAfrican that those opposed to the introduction and proliferation of GMOs in Africa are profiteers and fearmongers.

“There are those who get business from fearmongering,” she said. She also accused Greenpeace International of offering false information by claiming that some of the maize seeds grown in Kenya are contaminated by GM-materials.

This drew the ire of a Greenpeace official who accused Dr Wambugu of employing “scare tactics” in campaigning for GMOs in Africa.

“The genetic engineering industry, and their spokesperson for Africa, Florence Wambugu, must be really desperate if they are now resorting to lies, and ridiculous ones… Greenpeace never ever endangered the environment, the life of farmers and the health of consumers by putting a single genetically engineered seed into any soil anywhere in the world, and whoever suggests the opposite is completely out of touch with reality,” said Jan Van Aken of Greenpeace’s Sustainable Agriculture.

What is interesting is that even though she denied that Monsanto ever funded her in her pro-GMO campaign, Dr Wambugu nevertheless admitted that she gets money from such bodies as the United States Development Agency (USAid), Rockefeller Foundation, Dupont and CropLife International.