GMO misinformation will impact Kenya's food security negatively

In a new guest column in The Standard (Kenya), Dr. Sheila Ochugboju with the Alliance for Science writes,

"Over the past few months, Kenyans have been immersed in a furious debate about the merits of so-called 'GMOs' - the catch-all term commonly used for genetically modified food and crops.

It is an important subject because genetic improvements in Kenya's staple food crops like maize could be important in raising yields and adapting to climate change in the face of historic droughts.

They could also bring down food prices, reduce the use of pesticides and help tackle the country's chronic food insecurity situation.

Moreover, the GMO ban that was promulgated hastily by the Kenyan government in 2012 was based on a study that was later found to be flawed and consequently retracted.

The ban, therefore, had no scientific basis, in addition to which it was never gazetted and therefore had no formal legal standing. Moreover, the international scientific community has been clear over recent years that there is no safety case against GMOs.

The William Ruto government was thus correct in deciding to lift the ban, as any expert will attest."

Read her full piece at The Standard.