‘Back Off Our Indigenous Food’-Ugandan CSO Drags Kenya To East African Court Of Justice For Lifting Ban On GMOs
By Uganda Online Media
Centre for Food and Adequate Living Rights(CEFROHT), a Ugandan civil society organization has dragged the Kenyan government to the East African Court of Justice over the recent lifting of the ban on genetically modified organs(GMOs) in the country.
CEFROHT on Friday stormed the regional court seeking redress over the move by Kenya to lift the ban on GMOs noting that the move will affect the region.
Kenya last year lifted the ban on openly cultivating genetically modified crops, reversing a decade-old decision which was later defended by Kenya’s President William Ruto assuring Kenyans that it was safe,
The president criticised those who were against the lifting of the ban on such products, saying he was a scientist and was confident the genetically modified food posed no harm.
He said he had himself consumed GM food. “Have I grown breasts?” he posed, adding, “we must tell “the truth, let’s stop propaganda”.
“The whole of South Africa is 100% GMO… the US and other countries are 100% GMO. Have you heard of anyone growing horns because of consuming GMOs?” he further noted.
However, in their petition where the Kenyan Attorney General has been listed as the respondent, CEFROHT says the act of lifting the ban and the approval of cultivation, importation and sale of GMOs removed all regulatory barriers that had been established on GMOs in Kenya and consequently contravening Article 6(d) of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community.
“GMOs contaminate fields, even when a farmer has not planted such seeds, yet Kenya has a number of indigenous seeds that grow and multiply naturally which form part of the natural resources. With the introduction of GMOs, indigenous seeds and foods will be contaminated such as alien genes are transferred from GMO crops to other varieties of the same crop and other unknown effects which is against and violate the Treaty Establishing the East African Community,” reads part of the petition.
According to CEFROHT the importation and cultivation of GMOs in Kenya is against Article 6 of the East African Community Treaty as they are patented and it allows a few multinational companies to control the entire GMO food chain from research to breeding and commercialization of seeds, which they say weakens the farmer-managed seed systems that guarantee seed security and sovereignty of smallholder farmers, ultimately affecting food and seed sovereignty in the East African member states.
CEFROHT also says that allowing GMOs in Kenya takes away smallholder farmer sovereignty over their seeds, foods and farms since they are required to pay royalties and user rights to multinational companies producing GMOs in terms of seed and food which is against the Treaty Establishing the East African Community.
“GMOs take away the sanctity of heredity embedded in seed sovereignty as seeds are a fascinating object as the first link in the food chain and the very basis of Kenya’s food supply as they carry tremendous material and symbolic importance .”
The petitioners say because of the free movement of goods and persons and the common market, even other countries neighbouring Kenya that banned GMOs will be affected by the lifting of the ban given the porous borders and farmer fields which will be contaminated by GMOs.
CEFROHT argues that the defence that the ban was lifted as a measure by the Kenyan government to deal with the problem of food security they face.
The Ugandan civil society organization says GMOs are not a magic bullet for food and malnutrition as the world produces more than sufficient grain and other foodstuffs for all people to enjoy a healthy diet.
“People only get hungry because they lack money to grow food themselves. This shows that increased availability of food at the global level does not necessarily translate into increased food security at the national or household level.”
