Biosafety Authority faults Health ministry over GMO import

By Bernard Muthaka

It has emerged that the ministry of Public Health acted unilaterally in pushing for the ban on GMO imports, ignoring the input of the National Biosafety Authority (NBA), which has now written to Public Health Minister Beth Mugo to protest the ban.

In a memo to the ministry, NBA points out that as the focal point for the Convention on Biological Diversity on Biosafety issues, it is the only competent authority in Kenya mandated to handle all GMO matters.

“NBA has the capacity to detect GMOs and we recently employed and deployed sufficient biosafety inspectors to entry points namely Namanga, Mombasa and Busia, JKIA and Moi International Airport, Eldoret.  The officers are well versed with risk assessment procedures and have necessary equipment and authority to seize, test and report any suspected GMOs...,” reads part of the memo.

Policy regulation

“We took precautionary measures because we know the public would crucify us should any health calamity break out due to consumption of GMO food.  It was the ministry’s decision to take action because doubts had been raised,” says Dr Kepha Ombacho, the country’s Chief Public Health Officer.

Dr Ombacho was referring to a French study published recently reporting that rats fed with genetically engineered maize developed health problems, including tumours and trouble with their livers and kidneys.

Scientists who have since reviewed the study say it had no scientific merit. They said the type of rat used in the research was predisposed to develop tumours, which makes the results unreliable.  They also say the number of rats studied were too small to justify the study’s conclusions.

Unlike what would be expected, the tumour rates didn’t increase with increase in the dose of GMOs fed to animals, as scientists would expect to see if the genetically engineered corn were to blame.

“The study most likely documented a variation of normal tumour incidence in a small population of rats,” said a plant molecular biologist at the University of Florida in Gainesville. 

Policy regulation 

Following a request by the European Commission, the European Food Safety Authority reviewed the study and concluded that the currently its design and methodology were of insufficient scientific quality and could not justify any conclusions as purported.

It is unclear whether Higher Education Minister Sally Kosgei, under whose docket the National Biosafety Authority falls, attended the cabinet meeting that passed the ban.

 The ministry of Public Health insists that the ban stays until it receives evidence of the safety of GMOs.

A regulatory officer at the African Agricultural Technology Foundation says that the ban is bound to negatively affect the on-going investments in biotechnology research, which is already being carried out by Government institutions.

Policy regulation

Current GMO studies that have reached field trial stage include water-efficient or drought tolerant maize varieties and disease-resistant and vitamin-enhanced cassava.

The trials are being done in Makindu, Machakos, Mtwapa and Busia, all by Kari.

The World Food Programme has also been allowed to import genetically modified maize meal into Kenya for humanitarian assistance.