Religious leaders make U-turn, throw weight behind GMOs

The debate surrounding genetically modified (GMO) foods and the religion factor has been a long-standing and contentious issue in Kenya.

But now a  section of religious leaders, who were initially opposed to GM foods and crops over concerns about ethics, food sovereignty and the environment, have been working alongside scientists to educate the public on the potential benefits of GMOs in solving Kenya's food security crisis. 

Last month, the government launched an awareness campaign after the High Court dismissed petitions challenging the lifting of the ban on GMO foods and crops . This marked the first time that religious leaders and biotechnology scientists were collaborating to disseminate information on the safety of GMOs. 

Also read: Why court dismissed case challenging lifting ban on GMO foods

This development followed two years of legal disputes in Nairobi, where some Kenyans and smallholder farmer organisations opposed the lifting of the ban on GMOs.  One of the petitions cited a lack of public participation. In response, the government alongside the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) began a series of stakeholder engagements, including meetings with the religious community.

The goal is to foster a truce between science and religion, which often clash on issues related to genetically modified organisms.

 “The church has been so disadvantaged when it comes to GMOs. We have been depending on myths and speculations, and now we need scientists to explain to us in simple language. 

“We need food security because of the rise in population and now with climate change, we need to know if this is a technology we should embrace or not,” said Bishop Paul Korir from the Anglican Church of Kenya Kapsabet Diocese based in Nandi County. 

 Sheikh Ratib AbdiNoor from Jamia Mosque noted that for Muslim clerics, the challenge in getting their faithful to understand the benefits of agricultural biotechnologies lies in the lack of knowledge, and not that the faith is against it.

 “Man will always oppose what he doesn’t understand. We need to diversify our food production so that we can be a food-secure country,” he said.

 Following the dismissal of the court cases on GMOs, the National Biosafety Authority can now roll out National Performance Field Trials for Genetically Modified Maize developed by the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, the last step before commercialising GM maize seeds in the country. 

However, the clergy is wary that the trade in GMO seeds might disadvantage farmers. 

“We want to make sure that greed is not the motive for Kenya to lift the ban on GMOs. We know there are multinational companies that own the patents to these seeds, and we want to be sure that making money is not the main priority in this GMO campaign,” said Reverend Stephen Mairuri from the African Inland Church.

 The High Court dismissed all petitions against the rollout of genetically modified crops and foods, saying that Kenya has the capacity to regulate biotechnology crops through the National Biosafety Authority in collaboration with other government entities in the agriculture value chain like the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service ( KEPHIS ).

“Modern biotechnology can be used to address food and nutrition security through varieties that are resistant to pests and diseases and are drought-tolerant. These crops use less insecticides like in the case of BT Cotton, meaning we will not be polluting the environment and people won’t fall ill, said Prof Theophilus Mutui, the managing director at KEPHIS.

 Professor Mutui explained that for Kenya to kick hunger out of her borders, adopting agricultural technologies is the way to go. He added that the GMO crops that will be grown in Kenya will meet all safety standards. 

 “Embracing biotechnology will lead to addressing the Sustainable Development Goals on alleviating hunger and poverty. Modern biotechnology is regulated globally by the Cartagena Protocol. In Kenya, we have the National Biosafety Authority, responsible for regulating GMOs. They do food safety analysis and environmental impact assessments,” he said.

 According to Dr Francis Nang’aya, the head of Policy and Regulatory Affairs at the African Agricultural Technology Foundation, there are many myths and misconceptions surrounding GMOs in Africa.

 “Biotechnology is a controversial subject coupled with misinformation in between, and thus a forum such as this one allows for any question, myths and fears to be laid on the table for scientists to unpack and simplify everything. Sensationalism of this topic has stopped people and countries from making the right decision,” he said.

 However, smallholder farmers’ organisations like the Seed Savers Network Kenya say agricultural policies such as the decision to allow the growing of GM crops in the country are anti-people.

 “The laws coming from government right now are being pushed from some other place, and not from the bottom. This is why people are not able to feed themselves, and they end up needing interventions from the global community,” said Daniel Wanjama, director at Seed Savers Network Kenya.

 The organisation is also concerned about the safety of maize in farmer-managed seed systems —  contamination by GM maize —  as well as regulations on the labelling of products from GM crops.

 “We have people who do not want to grow GMO seeds. Don’t I have a right as a farmer to choose? How do we protect those who don’t want it? We have the problem of top-down laws,” added Mr Wanjama

 However, state agencies like KEPHIS say there are existing regulations to govern the growing of GMO and non-GM crops.

 “We have to come up with a co-existence policy. We can use isolation by distance, which is physical, or isolation by time. The government will determine which way to use to ensure there is no cross-pollination between GMO and conventional seeds,” said Prof Mutui.

 For the religious leaders, creating awareness of agricultural technologies like GM crops should have been done even before the ban was lifted.

 “People feel like GMOs are coming with cancer, we need to demystify those myths. We need targeted communication on how much more would be achieved if this conference was held in Nandi County,” said Bishop Korir.

 At the moment, Genetically Modified Cotton resistant to the African Bollworm has been released to farmers, who have grown it for the last four years. KARLO and AATF have also applied for licences to sell BT maize seeds.

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