Ban of GM Food Importation in Kenya is Illegal, Ministry of Agriculture Official Claims

During a Journalist Roundtable at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi on May 1, 2013, Romano Kiome, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture of Kenya, has dismissed last year's ban on the import of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the country--calling it ill-advised and lacking the backing of law. He said that although a "political stand" could hold sway for a time, it is no substitute for a considered professional judgment.

Kiome further added that three years before the ban, Kenya had set up the National Biosafety Authority, tasked with supervising the transfer, handling and use of GMOs. The agency was established by the Biosafety Act, which was passed in the Kenyan parliament and became law by Kibaki's assent in February 2009. It includes the aim of establishing "a transparent, science-based and predictable process" for reviewing the use of GMOs.

See ILRI's news release at http://clippings.ilri.org/2013/05/17/kenya-ban-on-the-import-of-gm-food-illegal-not-backed-by-law-romano-kiome/?utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer&utm_content=buffer52252.