FOCUS ON AFRICA
http://www.gmwatch.org/africa.asp
---

Biosafety bill endangers Kenya
Draft Biosafty Bill Will not Protect Kenya from the Risks of GMOS
Media release
Thursday 2nd September 2004

Kenya's draft Bill on Biosafety is flawed, and does not do enough to protect Kenyan agriculture, people and environment from the potential risks of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), said a coalition of farmers groups, environmentalists, and development NGOs today.

Parliament is due to debate the Biosafety draft Bill that is supposed to regulate the import of GMOs and provide protection for Kenyans. GMOs are organisms (for example crops such as maize) that have been genetically engineered with genes transferred from different species (such as bacteria) to confer new traits (such as resistance to stem borer pests). Farmers' groups, environmentalists and NGOs are concerned that these new organisms, which are patented, will contaminate Kenyan seeds and pose a risk to farming livelihoods, the environment, and human and animal health.

The groups were responding to the National Council of Science and Technology’s announcement last week that the Bill has been developed and has been forwarded to Parliament awaiting approval.

"A Biosafety Bill should provide protection to Kenyans and the environment, and ensure that the future of Kenya’s agriculture and farmers is not compromised." Said Moses Shaha, chairman of Kenya Small Scale Farmers' Forum (KESSFF). "There are many possible risks from the widespread use of GMOs, and any Bill must seek to minimise the likelihood of these risks."

Eric Kisiangani of Intermediate Technology Development Group - East Africa (ITDG-EA) added, "Kenya's Biosafety Bill needs to be rigorous and should have strong safety standards to regulate any import, growth and use of GMOs. However this draft Bill seems to be more of a mechanism to facilitate and approve GMOs, rather than to regulate them."

"Neither the Kenyan people nor civil society or environmental groups have been consulted in the drafting of the Biosafety Bill." Said Oduor Ong'wen of Southern and East Africa Trade Information Network Initiative (SEATINI). "Perhaps that is why the Kenyan draft Bill does not even conform to the minimum standards recommended under the international UN Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, as shown by legal experts affiliated to the African Union."

"There are better and cheaper options than GMOs for tackling the problems faced by Kenyan farmers, which do not jeopardize Kenyan interests or endanger our people and nature." Pointed out Thari Kulissa of ECOTERRA Intl. "For example, the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), has shown how intercropping with napier grass and desmodium can protect against stemborers and weeds, increase soil fertility and provide fodder for cattle. Why do we need expensive and risky GMOs when we already have the answers?"

Zachary Makanya of Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) added, "Our organisations have come together out of concern that the Kenyan government is rushing to allow GMOs into our agriculture, without considering the damaging effects, precautionary measures on how to prevent them, or means to compensate farmers and consumers who are harmed by them. The safety of GMOs has not been proven, and we should not just assume that organisms with genes from completely different species like bacteria are safe for us to eat or plant. These new organisms must not be allowed to contaminate our seeds.

"GMO crops are patented, which means that farmers pay higher prices for seeds, and are forbidden from saving or sharing their seed for the following season. GMOs therefore have huge potential to harm Kenyan farmers' livelihoods. The Biosafety Bill must reflect these concerns and potential dangers. But the current draft fails to do so."

NOTES TO EDITORS:

This statement has been made by a coalition of farmers groups, environmentalists and development NGOs, including: Kenya Small Scale Farmers' Forum (KESSFF), Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM), Action Aid, Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG), ECOTERRA Intl, Bridge Africa, INADES and Southern & Eastern Africa Trade Information Network Initiative (SEATINI).

The National Council of Science and Technology announced on August 25th that the draft Bill had been developed during a workshop in Nakuru. See East African Standard, "GM Foods Bill Ready, Says Officer" 26th August 2004 http://allafrica.com/stories/200408260325.html

The UN Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is an internationally agreed protocol on the minimum standards and procedures that countries should implement to ensure prevention of risks from GMOs. It entered into force on 11 September 2003. Kenya is a signatory.

Kenyan farmers are concerned about the effects that GMO crops will have on their agriculture and indigenous seeds. See "Kenya Small Scale Farmers' Forum: The Thika Declaration on GMOs" August 20th 2004 http://www.grain.org/research/contamination.cfm?id=161

And "Farmers Reject GM Food Crops" Kenya Times 25 August 2004
http://www.kentimes.com/25aug04/nwsstory/news19.html

For further information on Genetically Modified Organisms and Genetic Engineering, please visit the FOCUS ON AFRICA link at http://www.gmwatch.org

For further information on this statement please contact:
Eric Kisiangani (ITDG) +254-20-271 3540
Zachary Makanya (PELUM) +254-67-31 686
Thari Kulissa (ECOTERRA Intl) +254-20-88 26 58
Action Aid +254-20-444 0 444