The National Assembly. Three parliamentary committees have contested the Cabinet ban on genetically modified (GM) food imports. Photo/File
What you need to know:
The committees on health, agriculture, livestock and fisheries and education science and technology said the ban that was announced by former Public Health minister Beth Mugo in November last year was illegal.
The MPs said the ban was simply an executive order that was not enforceable in law because it was not published in the Kenya Gazette to make it legally binding.
Three parliamentary committees have contested the Cabinet ban on genetically modified (GM) food imports.
The committees on health, agriculture, livestock and fisheries and education science and technology said the ban that was announced by former Public Health minister Beth Mugo in November last year was illegal.
The MPs said the ban was simply an executive order that was not enforceable in law because it was not published in the Kenya Gazette to make it legally binding.
“The least we expect is for a cabinet minister, deputy president or the president to publicly confirm that the announcement of the ban was erroneous. We shall take this matter to the floor of the house,” said Dr Wilberforce Ottichilo.
The legislators were hearing submissions by biotechnology experts including Dr Joel Ochieng’ who said the ban on GMO did not follow the law as it was endorsed under the Public Health Act, and not the Biosafety Act as provided for in the Constitution.
“The National Biosafety Authority (NBA), which is the lead regulatory agency for GM products, has admitted that they were not consulted. They just learnt of it in the media before receiving communication asking them to enforce the order,” said Dr Ochieng’.
The ban was announced following a study done by French researchers and published in the Journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology, which indicated that rats fed on GM maize had developed cancerous tumours.
Dr Ochieng’ tabled documents from the High Council on Biotechnology (HCB) to the French government declaring the study null and void.
The scientists also presented reports from the WHO, FAO, the European Food Safety Authority among others which indicated GMO products, were safe.
The scholar said that many patients suffering from HIV/Aids depend on fortified blended and specially formulated food rations such as corn-soy blend, most of which contain GMO ingredients.
“This means a ban on GM foods is a ban on life support for more than 1.6 million people living with the disease.’’
PAYE Tax Calculator
Note: The results are not exact but very close to the actual.
