Have you ever questioned the traceability of the vegetables you buy from your local outlet? Do you ever wonder what safety checks they pass through, who grows them and which chemicals they absorb before they land on your table?
We talk about eating healthy food and increasing our vegetable intake, yet we rarely consider the hidden risks behind the fresh produce we consume.
A newly released Swedwatch report reveals that the danger is far greater than many realise. Europe continues to export pesticides to Kenya that are already banned within the European Union because of their serious risks to human health and the environment.
Their continued use quietly drains Kenya’s economy, weakens its export competitiveness and places a rising burden on farmers and workers who sustain the country’s food system. This is not only an environmental problem. It is an economic crime against a country that relies heavily on agriculture for growth and foreign exchange.
Swedwatch notes that the EU exports about 714,000 tonnes of pesticides each year, valued at more than 6.6 billion euros. Around 122,000 tonnes contain chemicals Europe has banned because of their proven harm to humans and ecosystems.
This means nearly one in every five tonnes of pesticides exported from Europe is considered unsafe for European citizens. EU protects its population while sending the same chemicals to countries with less capacity to regulate or enforce.
What many Kenyans do not know is that this trade does not happen quietly.
Under European law, banned pesticides can only be exported through a system known as Export Notifications. This process requires the prior informed consent of the receiving country.
In practice this means Kenyan agencies are expected to approve the importation of chemicals that Europe has already rejected domestically.
Our regulators unknowingly legitimise a toxic trade that shields European consumers while shifting the health and economic risks to African farmers and exporters.
This is especially worrying for Kenya whose economy is anchored on agriculture. In 2023 the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector contributed 21.8 percent of Gross Domestic Product and employs more than 40 percent of the population.
Kenya’s horticulture, floriculture and fresh produce industries supply high value markets that demand strict food safety standards. These markets have already outlawed many of the pesticides still used locally.
The consequences are visible. In 2022 Europe intercepted 31 consignments of Kenyan produce because of pesticide residue violations.
These interceptions resulted in more than 118,000 tonnes of vegetables being rejected, leading to direct financial losses for farmers and exporters.
Each rejection erodes global confidence in Kenyan produce, raises compliance costs and places exporters under constant pressure to meet international standards.
Farmers often resort to these chemicals because the system makes safer options harder to access and more expensive. Hazardous pesticides are cheap, aggressively marketed and widely available. Labels are written in foreign languages, extension services are limited and alternatives remain costly.
Agro dealers frequently push quick fix inputs that promise fast results in a competitive production environment. What begins as pest control becomes a cycle of dependence that leads to long-term health, economic and environmental losses.
The human cost is high. Many farm workers mix pesticides by hand and apply them with tanks carried on their backs without protective gear or proper training. Workers report persistent skin irritation, respiratory problems and long-term complications.
This is why Kenya must treat pesticide dumping as an economic crime. Europe banned these chemicals to protect its citizens yet continues to export them to countries where regulatory systems are overstretched and the economic consequences fall entirely on local farmers. No competitive agricultural system can be built on double standards.
Kenya should strengthen enforcement of the banned list, introduce liability for distributors who sell prohibited chemicals, align domestic residue thresholds with European standards and support farmers to transition to safer pest management such as Integrated Pest Management and bio pesticides.
The country should also join regional efforts pushing the European Union to prohibit the export of pesticides it has already banned for domestic use.
Protecting farmers, safeguarding export markets and restoring ecological health are essential for Kenya’s long term economic resilience.
