I DON'T THINK GMOs IS THE WAY TO GO IN FIGHT AGAINST FOOD SHORTAGES IN KENYA.

 The other day , the cabinet led by President Ruto vacated the ban on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) that was effected by the late President Mwai Kibaki on November, 2012. Infact, before the Kibaki Regime effected that ban , he has consulted a litany of scientists drawn from KENYA'S research and institutios of higher learning. It was reported to him that , French goverment too conducted research on that very GMOs and found that , it could have exposed its citizens to Cancer. Without a blink of an eye, Kibaki banned them in Kenya and closed that chapter. When forjer President Uhuru Kenyatta took over the government back in 2013 , he didn't open the can of worms even after US government pressing him to introduce the debate on whether GMOs should be adopted in Kenya or not. He remained tight lipped on that issue for the rest of his 10 years term. He evaded that topic but that doesn't mean biotechnology wasn't happening in Kenya. It has been happening especially in Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KARLO). It has been developing seed varieties of crops such as millet , sorghum, potatoes, yams , tomatoes, cassavas , wheat , Maize which are drought resistant, pest and adopt easily with Kenya's climatic conditions.

In fact , biotechnology has been used for both industrial and domestic purposes and has been with us for a long period especially in beer making, bread making , hybridization yoghurt production , grafting and most recently tissue culture. When President Ruto was the then Minister for Agriculture in the grand coalition , as a plant scientist , he vehemently opposed the introduction of GMOs in Kenya and instead, he advised the government to develop the local seeds fir various food crops inorder to adopt to our climatic and weather patterns. In , he was in view that biotechnology in Kenya should help us solve our Agricultural problems instead of adopting foreign solutions that will pose danger to the health of Kenyans. What shocked many is the about turn he took on the very same GMOs from the west which he vehemently opposed. This comes after he attended the UNGA in the US and made a speech that extensively touched on climate change and food security in Africa. 

Giant United States GMOs multinational corporations like Monsanto, Dupoint , Dow , BASF , Bayer and Syngenta have been looking for a way on how they will find a market especially in Kenya. Their hopes of getting one in Kenya was dealt a blow by the Kibaki Regime. They didn't lose hope using their Goverment to knock doors in Uhuru Kenyatta goverment but there too , it was hard to penetrate. It is now evident that , President William Ruto is shaping Kenya's foreign policy towards the West and ditch the east where , his predecessors , Kibaki and UHURU heavenly leaned on and Kenyans should understand why. There is a reason why, when Kibaki took over the government from KANU which was pro- West , Kibaki looked East. That's how he shaped his foreign policy for the 10 years he was in power. Former President Uhuru Kenyatta too , didn't alter even am inch from Kibaki's foreign policy of looking at the East. With President Ruto looking towards the West , that could be the reason he hastily vacated the ban on GMOs after meeting with US secretary of state and US delegations in New York.

STICKS  AND CARROTS

It is known t fact that pollen grains can be spread a long distance through open pollination ( wind/ insects). GM crops can , therefore, never co-exist with non-GMO crops of the same species without risk of contaminating them. This contamination of non-GM crops by GM crops had direct effects on African small scale farmers. This is because, the local Farmers will lose their indigenous seeds through this contamination. In fact , all the Genetic Modified seeds are patented the this large multi national companies. It is estimated that , currently, over 98% of the agricultural patents are owned by corporate companies in the West. So , farmers using this seeds pay royalties to this companies for the use of the GM seeds are very expensive and farmers will pay heavily everytime they want to use them.

It is cognizance to note that, the companies that sell GM seeds make farmers to sign technological contracts which prohibit the farmers from saving their seeds, selling their seeds or even sharing their seeds. The reason is obvious- the farmers will keep on buying seeds from the companies producing this seeds. So , in short, there is no freedom in using this seeds. The farmers will kind be held captive by this multinational corporations supplying this seeds. Also , already produced GMOs especially from US will find themselves in the Kenya's market. They will flood here and US will inturn praise Kenya as a good business partner but the fact is , one is being misused, used and re-used. Again, if the farmers are prohibited to share this seeds and in Africa, we aren't fond to deny your neighbor the seeds to plant especially during the planting season. In Gíkûyū language and culture we say ( Mbegū ndiumanagwo). 

80% of Kenyan farmers are small scall farmers. So, since the cost of production is high and agriculture has now become an expensive venture, they find themselves in pain to buy hybrid seeds in each and every season. So , they opt to use some of the produce as the seedlings in the next planting season. With GM seeds , this is prohibited and farmers will have to dig deep in their pockets to purchase something that poses danger to their health under the guise of increasing food production to fight hunger. It is all about quantity and not quality. Anyway, they say , the only freedom Africans and their Goverments enjoy is that of singing their national anthems , raising and lowering their national flags. Period. Again, he who concurs your past, controls your future. The West is determined to make money using whatever means.

The West is acting the big brother in all this issue. It has both the yam and the knife dangling infront of destitute Africans who are facing severe hunger and drought and their Goverments are in a position to do absolutely nothing because of the huge debts International Financial Institutions (IFIs) have dipped them. In this case , you have to play ball. The carrots are , allow GMOs for loan facilitation inorder to address abnormalities in fiscal and monetary policies. Also, the long term loans for financing huge infrastructural projects will be in the offing. The sticks are , you play hard , we will push you to the corner in debt repayment with ZERO reliefs. Because there is no respect in debts and IMF and WB are coming knocking, you have zero options as a goverment than to accept it. That's how LGBTQ find ITSELF in a Country christening itself as a religious one. That's how things happen when you decide to shape your foreign policy towards the West. Where other nations are running away from, Kenya is busy running towards.

The conversation on GMOs has and will continue occupying hectares of space in kenyans hearts and minds because , scientists are too divided on this issue but the most interesting thing is , a big section of Kenyans are now aware of dangers associated with this GMOs. We saw how COVID 19 ravaged communities that feed on this crops. The immunity in their bodies was exposed badly as being poor. Majority of Africans withered through the storm. Infact, herd immunity was best in Africa. Our brothers and sisters in Africa who succumbed to that various are those who had other ailments like HIV/Aid, Cancer, blood pressure , diabetes and other chronic diseases. Let's not loose our culture because, when your culture is concured by foreigners, you lose both yourself and your identity. Let's be vigilant. Danger is lurking AHEAD.