William Ruto is not only President of the Republic. The strong man of Kenya is also a doctor in plant ecology. A former Minister of Agriculture (2008-2010), he is particularly knowledgeable in plant genetics. The same Mr. Ruto has recently decided to adopt GMO maize for his country. His very own way of putting into practice his doctoral thesis: "Influence of human activities on land use change and the environmental quality of ecosystems."
On October 3, the president, who owns large maize farms in the Rift Valley, authorized the import of genetically modified maize as well as GMO maize seeds, despite a ban existing since 2012 in the East African country. The unilateral decision has been met with an outcry, including from within his own camp.
Initially, the government hopes to import 10 million bags of GM maize from the United States as soon as possible to combat the food crisis caused by the drought in the Horn of Africa, the worst in forty years. "We have decided to allow import until the food situation improves," said Trade Minister Moses Kuria. More than a third of Kenya's counties are directly affected.
Concern for smallholder farmers
Strong resistance is expected in the country of 55 million people, 8 million of whom are farmers. Agriculture accounts for about 20 % of Kenya’s gross domestic product (GDP). The massive arrival of GMO maize intended for consumer use, initially scheduled for December, will have to wait a little longer – the High Court suspended its import following a complaint filed by a group of farmers. The court is expected to rule on the matter in the coming weeks.
"This should not be a political decision but a scientific one," said Nandi County Senator Samson Cherarkey. "We are especially worried about our small Kenyan farmers, who are unable to compete with the price of American GM maize and who will experience a crisis," said the politician, although he is a regular ally of Mr. Ruto.
In the longer term, the government wants to "significantly redefine agriculture in Kenya," using "crops that are resistant to pests and diseases." For the moment, it has not been revealed what type of seeds will be imported. The authorities hope that genetically-modified maize will allow farmers to sidestep pesticide price inflation by lowering their consumption, and consumers to find unga (maize flour) at an affordable price.
'The public has the choice to decide'
Pressed to justify the government's sudden rush to approve GM maize, Trade Minister Moses Kuria awkwardly declared on Thursday, November 17: "Anyway, if you live in Kenya, you are a candidate for death because there are a lot of reasons to die in this country, so there is nothing wrong with adding GMOs to that long list."
The blunder came as a wake-up call to GMO-related health fears. In 2012, then president, Mwai Kibaki, had decided to ban them following a study by French biologist Gilles-Eric Séralini. The study found that rats that had been fed transgenic maize were at increased risk of developing tumors. The controversial study was inconclusive.
"We have no certainty about the effects of GMOs on humans, so it would be unwise to authorize them," said Emmanuel Atamba, of the Route to Food organization, which advocates the continued application of the precautionary principle. If GMOs are ever to be widely used in Kenya, it should be when the public has the choice to decide.
'We're losing control, because it's coming from abroad'
Mr. Ruto's recent decision is in line with a certain continuity. Despite the 2012 ban, the state simultaneously funds laboratory trials of GM crops. In addition, Kenya has allowed farmers to plant and market Bt cotton since 2020. The plant is resistant to certain pests thanks to the production of an insecticidal toxin.
George Ndavi, 54, sowed it on his shamba, his farm in Makueni County, southeast of Nairobi. His grandfather already grew cotton here on the fiery red soil of Tsavo National Park. When the government proposed genetically engineered cotton seeds two years ago, Mr. Ndavi accepted the trial. "It almost doubled my production and halved my expenses on fertilizers and pesticides," he said, delighted. But in 2022, lack of rain proved fatal to the cotton plants, genetically modified or not.
Today, Kenyan cotton growers find themselves at a loss. With the rainy season almost over, Mr. Ndavi has been unable to sow. "The seeds are imported from India, and they didn't arrive on time this year because of logistics. We're losing control because it's coming from abroad," he sighed, already fearing a poor harvest next year.
According to a Route to Food study,
57 % of Kenyans are opposed to GMOs
When asked about the future arrival of GM maize seed, the farmer remained cautious. "I hear that it involves health risks, I don't know if those are rumors or if they are true," he said. "If it's been banned for 10 years, there's something wrong with it." According to a Route to Food survey, 57 % of Kenyans are opposed to GMOs.
Most importantly, Mr. Ndavi and the 900 other farmers who have chosen to plant GM cotton in Makueni County may not own the necessary surface area to avoid cross-pollination between conventional and GM maize fields, if they were to grow it. Several hundred meters of isolation distances are in fact required to avoid cross-pollination.
President Ruto's desire to introduce transgenic maize in the land of marathon runners recently received the support of billionaire Bill Gates, who came to Kenya in mid-November to meet with him and visit farmers in Makueni.
'High-tech solutions'
"All the bread and maize I've ever eaten in my life is GMO," said an advocate of transgenic crops to an audience of students at the University of Nairobi. In Kenya, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funds several research institutes and foundations. One of them, the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), is working on the adoption of transgenic seeds on the continent. In 2022, it promoted the testing of Tela maize (drought and insect resistant) in Nigeria.
But about 50 African agricultural associations have challenged the billionaire in an open letter, in which they assured that seeds adapted to local needs, including climate change "already exist and are developed by farmers and commercialized through informal seed markets." "The high-tech solutions you favor, including genetic engineering, have never succeeded in reducing hunger or improving access to food as promised," they wrote. Another argument against the crops is that the promised reductions in inputs (pesticides and herbicides) are not always forthcoming. Insects and weeds can develop resistance.
Meanwhile, trials of transgenic Bt maize, which is resistant to insect pests, are taking place in Kenya. They are carried out in laboratories and in protected areas managed by the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, under the supervision of Professor Richard Oduor, a doctor of molecular biology at Kenyatta University. "If Kenya wants to be an integral part of the global economy, the country must open its market to foreign agricultural companies," said the advocate of transgenics in agriculture. Today, GM crops are concentrated in a few countries, primarily the United States and Brazil.