Kenya to inject US$15M to combat GMO misinformation, boost biosafety awareness
A key pillar of the plan is to address public skepticism by enhancing biosafety awareness among farmers, consumers, and stakeholders.
KENYA – The Kenyan government has pledged KES1.94 billion (US$15M) to strengthen public education on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and counter widespread misinformation as it officially launched the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) Strategic Plan 2023–2027 on May 5, 2025.
A key pillar of the plan is to address public skepticism by enhancing biosafety awareness among farmers, consumers, and stakeholders across the agricultural value chain.
Speaking during the launch in Nairobi, Agriculture Principal Secretary Dr. Kipronoh Ronoh acknowledged that misinformation remains a major obstacle to GMO acceptance in the country. He emphasized that the strategic plan outlines robust public education measures and reinforces Kenya’s strong legal and regulatory framework for biosafety governance.
“I wish to assure Kenyans that the country has a robust legal, regulatory and institutional capacity to ensure and assure safety of GMOs and their derived products,” said Dr. Ronoh.
He stressed that modern biotechnology plays a vital role in achieving national development goals, including food security and agricultural transformation.
The five-year strategic plan is anchored on eight key result areas, with a strong focus on public education to dispel myths about GMOs that continue to spread across digital platforms and rural communities. Other focus areas include biosafety compliance and enforcement, international collaboration, risk assessments, and institutional strengthening of the NBA.
Professor Douglas Miano, a plant virologist and biotechnology expert at the University of Nairobi, called for science-based decision-making to safeguard vital crops such as cassava, which face severe threats from viral diseases. He specifically highlighted the devastating impact of Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD), which he noted has spread from coastal Kenya to western regions, where over 60% of national cassava production is concentrated.
“Traditional breeding methods have not yielded resistant varieties for CBSD. We had to turn to genetic engineering, introducing a small piece of the virus into the plant to stimulate its natural immune system,” Prof. Miano explained.
Despite scientific advances in developing virus-resistant crops such as GM- cassava, Miano said misinformation has delayed commercialisation and undermined public trust.
“We’ve done awareness campaigns, but many still don’t understand what genetic modification really is,” he said.
He emphasized the importance of targeted communication strategies, noting that consumers, farmers, environmentalists, and traders each have unique concerns about GMOs.
“Consumers care about health, farmers about yield, and environmentalists about biodiversity. Each group needs tailored, accurate information,” he said.
Prof. Miano also dispelled fears that GM varieties would eliminate indigenous varieties, clarifying that biotechnological solutions aim to preserve, not replace, Kenya’s vast cassava diversity.
Sign up to HERE receive our email newsletters with the latest news and insights from Africa and around the world, and follow us on our WhatsApp channel for updates.
