Kenya Government Committed to Biosafety Bill 2007

The government of Kenya strongly supports the enactment of the Biosafety Bill 2007 into law to safeguard application of biotechnologies in the fight against hunger and poverty in the country. Speaking during the official opening of the Eighth Meeting of Stakeholders of the Insect Resistant Maize for Africa (IRMA) project undertaken by Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), the Agriculture Secretary, Dr Wilson Songa, said that although the Bill was not discussed in the  Parliament's last meeting, all was not lost as the government  will continue to advocate for its enactment into law when Parliament convenes in early March 2008.

Songa criticized groups opposed to the Bill, saying that contrary to their claims, the government needs biosafety laws to create legal and regulatory structures for governing and managing responsible research, development and deployment of beneficial products of modern biotechnology to the Kenyan farmers and consumers. He lamented that continued opposition to the Bill could slow down progress the country made through KARI in biotechnology research and development. He expressed confidence that the next Parliament will give the Bill a priority, adding that most Kenyans were now aware of the benefits of biotechnology.  KARI Director, Dr Ephraim Mukisira, CIMMYT Global Maize Program director Dr Marianne Banziger, and IRMA Coordinator, Dr Stephen Mugo, among others, also attended the meeting.

For more information contact Daniel Otunge (d.otunge@cgiar.org ) of ISAAA AfriCenter.