Kenyans should not fear consuming Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) once they are approved by the National Biosafety Authority (NBA), the Ministry of Agriculture has said, calling on more public awareness and education in the face of misinformation.

Principal Secretary for the State Department for Agriculture Dr Paul Kipronoh Ronoh lauded the new NBA Strategic Plan 2023-2027, noting that it captures the next steps needed to demystify misinformation surrounding GMOs.

Yesterday, the authority revealed that it will open six more border offices to enhance its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives such as drip planting, exercise in various schools, promotion of public awareness and education on biosafety matters, and the centralization of NBA services.

Although this is already happening in the regional sites like Mombasa, Busia, Namaanga, Malaba, Lunga Lunga, and Taita Taveta, the Ministry of Agriculture feels that this needs to be stepped up as biosafety still remains foreign among the majority of Kenyans. “I want to assure Kenyans that the country has a robust legal, regulatory, and institutional capacity to ensure and assure safety of GMOs and their derived products.”

Authority mandate

Dr Ronoh urged NBA and its partners to continue working together towards the realization of the mandate of the authority, which is meant to exercise generous provision and control over the transfer, handling, and use of genetically modified organisms, GMOs, with a view to ensuring safety of human and animal health and provision of adequate protection of the environment.

He said the NBA as a designated national focal point to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety also serves as a liaison agency between the Government of Kenya and the Secretariat for the Protocol on All Biosafety Matters Related to GMO and related technologies.

“I wish therefore to congratulate NBA for the successful completion and launch of the 2023-2027 strategic plan,” he said as the authority emphasized the importance of transparent, science-based decision-making in relation to GMOs to ensure the safety of human and animal health and protect the environment, according to their website.

Public awareness

This includes promoting and facilitating public awareness, education, and participation in decision-making processes regarding commercialization of GMOs, as stated in their strategic plan. “The NBA’s call for increased awareness and education is driven by the need to counter misconceptions and fears about GMOs that can hinder their responsible and safe development, transfer, handling, and use,” said NBA acting Chief Executive Officer, Nehemiah Ngetich.

The Authority’s mission is to ensure and assure safe GMO practices, recognizing the potential benefits of this technology while managing associated risks.

Ngetich said that NBA is going to upscale public awareness, participation, education and capacity building on biosafety matters at national and county levels.

“Misinformation about GMOs and biosafety matters as well as low levels of public awareness pose a significant challenge in fully discharging the authorities’ mandate,” he said. “It is crucial to invest in comprehensive public awareness and education campaigns to ensure that the general public understands the importance of biosafety. These campaigns will aim to dispel misconceptions and build trust in biosafety measures.”

According to him, currently there is a gap in public understanding and awareness of biosafety and the authority’s role in protecting health and the environment.

The campaigns will focus on targeted education initiatives, stakeholder mapping, and engagement strategies. By increasing awareness it will foster public trust, encourage adherence to biosafety protocols, and strengthen stakeholder involvement in biosafety matters. “Many citizens and stakeholders are unaware of the importance of biosafety or the authority plays in safeguarding public health and the environment .This low level of awareness hampers compliance with biosafety protocols and reduces public trust in the system.”

The development of the Strategic Plan was informed by the need to re-align with the government’s MTP IV(2023-2027) and the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), as well as the requirement to re-align with the guidelines for development of the fifth generation strategic plans as issued by The National Treasury, State Department for Economic Planning. This Plan identifies key achievements, challenges and lessons learnt. The new Strategic Plan serves as a foundation for ensuring alignment with current government priorities and regulatory requirements.