President William Ruto: No woman would grow beards for eating GMOs

President William Ruto during a joint media interview at State House, Nairobi on January 4, 2023. [Standard] 

President William Ruto has said that his government lifted the longstanding ban on GMOs because there is no conclusive evidence suggesting that the modified crops are harmful to human health.

In 2012, President Mwai Kibaki’s Cabinet imposed a ban on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) to protect the indigenous crops.

In October 2022, barely a month after assuming office, President Ruto’s Cabinet lifted the longstanding ban, citing the need to improve food security at a time when Kenya was facing serious famine.

“I am a scientist, and scientists world over are in agreement that GMOs are not harmful to human beings. There is no evidence suggesting GMOs are harmful to human health. There is no woman who has grown beards because of consuming GMOs. I haven’t grown breasts despite taking GMOs regularly,” said Ruto, adding: “As the Head of State, I won’t allow anything that endangers the lives of Kenyans.”