On EAC’s GMO disharmony and little-known GM mosquito research
On EAC’s GMO disharmony and little-known GM mosquito research
Tags: Africa, Gene editing, MosquitoesGitura Mwaura, The New Times, 2024.
The Gazettement of Rwanda’s biosafety law last month does not seem to have received much regional attention. It probably should have. To see why, recall that it was only in 2016 when its then Minister of Agriculture was expressing concern about a possible influx of genetically modified crops from Kenya and Uganda. The two East African Community partner states were reportedly in the process of legalising genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
“We need to fast-track our biosafety standards to enable us deal with GMOs once they are in the country,” the minister had said. “They (the two partner states) are ahead in setting biosafety standards, while we are still defining ours.” It now seems ironic that Rwanda should enact the law before Uganda – and Tanzania as well, which was expected to already have a biosafety law. Kenya has had a similar law since 2009. Other EAC member states are in various stages of enactment.