Moses Kuria, Cabinet secretary of Trade, has announced that the government will permit the duty-free importation of 10 million bags of genetically modified (GMO) maize over the following six months.
This comes even as millions of people face starvation.
The CS stated that he will publish a gazette notice today authorising the importation. He also added that the government is prepared to deal with any potential fallout from the move.
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Due to the severe drought that has prolonged for months this year, 4.2 million Kenyans, particularly in pastoralist communities, are facing famine.
“We have taken deliberate decisions to improve the current dire food situation in the country. We have decided to allow the importation of GMO maize into the country until the food situation improves,” said Kuria.
The action, on the other hand, is likely to alarm local maize farmers, who have usually withheld maize to push up prices, resulting in high maize flour prices.
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The lifting of the ban coincides with the harvesting season for maize in Kenya’s economic powerhouse regions of Uasin Gishu and Trans Nzoia, which may encourage farmers to sell more of their goods before the arrival of cheaper GMO imports.
On the other hand, millers have long asked the government to ease the ban on GMO imports to boost the domestic grain supply.
There have been safety concerns regarding the cultivation and importation of GMO crops and products for the past few years.
Following the proposal of a task team formed to assess the safety of GMOs, President William Ruto’s administration overturned a 10-year ban on open cultivation and importing of GMO products last month.
As part of his administration’s medium and long-term response to food insecurity, President Ruto stated that the government has taken the expert advice of scientists regarding the applicability and safety of GMOs before lifting the ban.
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