It has been in the public domain for close to 15 years, but the
Biosafety Bill, needed to move adoption and development of crop
biotechnology forward in Kenya has never fallen short of controversy.
The controversy surrounding the planned introduction of Genetically
Modified Organisms into Kenyan came into the public again with the
government distancing itself from the draft Biosafety Bill.

Environment and Natural Resources Minister, David Mwiraria told a
gathering of scientists in Nairobi yesterday that, currently, the National
Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) does not have adequate capacity to
make decisions regarding introduction of modified organisms to the
environment and market.

In a speech read on his behalf by the Ministry?s deputy secretary, Dr
Timothy M?mella at the official opening of a six-day training for NEMA staff
on introduction to GMO Biosafety Risk Assessment, the minister noted that
recent social science studies show that environmental and civil society
groups consider GMO innovations and its concurrent bio-safety process as
unaccountable and non-transparent.

The course is designed to educate inspectors on the basic skills on
the use of scientific data regarding the bio safety and ecological risk
assessment of Living Modified Organism (LMO?s). Biosafety training?s focal
intention is to build a competence in Eastern Africa by providing the
countries with the facility to make autonomous decision regarding the use of
biotechnology through capacity building in bio safety.

Mwiraria said that the process towards development of the Biosafety
Bill could have been managed and directed by the very Kenyan scientist that
were developing and promoting GMO deployment. ?Little wonder that the recent
National Biotechnology Development Legislation has attracted a lot of
concerns especially from the civil society,? he said.

At the same time NEMA conceded that it lacks capacity to identify
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), verify and mitigate impacts brought
about by the technology.

Speaking during the ceremony, Dr.Gabor Lovei the project leader from
the University of Nairobi said, the Cartagena Protocol on LMO?s requires
transparent, scientific and case- by- case bio safety with special
consideration for the receiving environment consequently African countries
which need all the capacity to do all elements of researching, generating
and testing of it.

During the training, Biosafe Train also aims to improve existing
infrastructural capacity by existing biosafety or biotechnology facilities.

Currently construction facilities are underway in Uganda and Kenya. He
also noted that it?s only South Africa in Africa using GMO?s for its
commercial products and urge the rest of the countries to adopt the same

?It is only South Africa that GMO?s are used but then it is also noted
that this is done with inadequate research capabilities on the impacts to
people and the environment after interaction with the modified organisms?
affirmed Lovei.

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