Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya has waded into the ongoing debate on the importation of GMO maize.
The debate was sparked off by a tweet by Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria who last week said the government would allow duty-free importation of 10 million bags of GMO and non-GMO maize.
But according to Natembeya, there is no agency of the government turning to GMO food.
In posts on his social media pages, the county boss noted that instead of going for the controversial GMO food, the government should focus on empowering farmers.
This, the county boss says, can be achieved by supplying subsidized farm inputs to improve local produces.
“Trans Nzoia County is Kenya’s food basket, however, farmers from the region are not sufficiently catered for, therefore I implore the national government to control market price to curb fluctuation by exorbitant middlemen during bumper harvest who in turn hoards the produces creating a false impression and artificial shortage,” Natembeya added.
Stop importation
He further joined other political leaders from the North Rift region in asking the government, through the Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi to stop any importation plan of GMO food.
Natembeya says the government should instead utilise the existing locally produced maize.
The county boss also wants the issue of GMO food to be discussed exhaustively with relevant stakeholders “considering pros and cons of the importation to the health of innocent consumers”.
“Globally GMO food is meant to increase animal feeds, therefore proper policy and guideline should be put in place before embracing influx of the modified Organisms to our markets,” he added.
The cabinet early in October 2022 removed a 10-year ban on the importation and cultivation of GMO food.
But despite the cabinet approval, many questions still remain unanswered in regard to the safety of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).
“They are banned in many scientifically advanced economies like France, Germany, Austria, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Poland, Denmark, Malta, Slovenia, Italy, and Croatia. Why Kenya?” opposition leader Raila Odinga said in a statement issued on November 21, 2022.
