Is Kenya ready for GMO Maize? There are more questions than answers…

Good people of OCA,

What is a GMO? Did you know that once transgenic foods are introduced into the environment, there is no way of “recalling” or “retracting” them?

The Kenya Biosafety Authority (NBA), which is the institution charged with regulating the use and application of transgenic products (GMOs)  in Kenya ,including ensuring  that all risks are eliminated or minimized BEFORE any release for cultivation of transgenic products into the environment, especially those that go into the food chain for human and animal consumption.  NBA has asked for comments/feedback on the viability of allowing Bt. Maize, a GMO, for open cultivation and commercialization following an application by the Kenya Agricultural Research and Livestock Organization (KARLO) and AATF, ostensibly to solve the problem of a notorious maize pest(stem borer) with resultant reduction in the use of pesticides. Towards that end, NBA has given the public a time period, ending on the 23rd of August, 2015, to make their written submissions for consideration towards making a determination on the application.

On behalf of Organic Consumers Alliance (OCA), and in the exercise of our constitutional right to participate and share pertinent concerns, here below are critical questions which we should all ask ourselves…. “food for thought”

  • Is the general public aware of what GMOs are? According the World Health Organization(WHO), genetically modified organisms(GMOs) can be defined as organisms(i.e plants or micro-organism) which include genetic material called DNA that has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating or natural recombination. Bt. Maize is an example of a GMO.
  • Does Kenya really need GMOs to achieve food security?
  • What are the safety and health risk associated with GMO foods?
  • What are the social and economic impacts of GMOs in view of patents?
  • Can GMOs co-exist with non-GMO and organically grown crops?
  • Does the Precautionary Principle apply in this case?

If you are a seeker of the TRUTH, click here for some reasons why you should be concerned…. http://www.gmwatch.org/files/10-reasons-we-dont-need-GM-foods.pdf

We close this article with the wise advice from the President of the United States of America, President Obama, during his recent visit to Kenya…”we borrow the present from our children…we do not inherit it from our parents’…

What future do we want to bequeath our children?