From: Fanuel Olala
Hallo wonderful people in this forum.Its not news that Kenya cannot feed her population and there has been a big debate whether or not the government should give the green light for Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) foodstuff to be imported.
Its even shocking that the minister for public health Hon.Beth Mugo has clearly stated in black and white that the government has no machinery in place to determine the safety of GMOs.I’m perturbed to say the least.
Are there people here on the know concerning health issues that these foodstuff pose to humans and livestock?
I’m very sure that once they get into this country,they will become very cheap and our traditional foods will in effect become costly and unaffordable to many.
As a concerned citizen,I vow to stay put with our common diet.
Thanks and God bless Kenya!
subject GMOs: LET US CONSUME AS WELL AS FULLY ADOPT THIS TECHNOLOGY.
Genetically-Modified foods (GM foods) have made a huge splash in the news lately. Some politicians and activists have expressed their displeasure with the Cabinet for allowing the importation of the genetically modified maize as a stop gap measure for food shortages currently experienced in the country. They argue that GMOs cause cancer and infertility among many other diseases to the consumers. However they have not adduced any statistical evidence which conclusively proves their arguments. Given that no single epidemiological study has indicated that engineered crops cause any harm to the consumers, one can only conclude that their arguments are premised on a fallacy.
It is instructive to note that modification of desired traits in plants is not something new. Traditionally it has been undertaken through breeding, for instance in the case of hybrid seeds. Crops have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as withstanding extreme weather conditions, increased yield, increased resistance to weeds and pests or improved nutritional content.
However, conventional plant breeding methods can be very time consuming and are often not very accurate. Genetic engineering, on the other hand, can create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and with great accuracy. For example, plant geneticists can isolate a gene responsible for drought tolerance and insert that gene into a different plant. The new genetically-modified plant will gain drought tolerance as well. With this gene, these crops are able to tolerate high temperatures that normally would kill unmodified seedlings.
With the rapid population growth, Kenya will definitely need more land for food production. Part of the measures to address food sufficiency will be to grow crops in regions previously unsuited for plant cultivation. These will include the vast arid and semi arid areas such as the Eastern and North Eastern regions of Kenya. Using genetic engineering to create plants that can withstand long periods of drought or high salt content in soil and groundwater will transform these regions into Kenya`s bread baskets thus going a long way in ensuring sustainable food production.
Secondly, malnutrition is a common problem in third world countries where impoverished peoples rely on a single crop such as maize or rice as their staple food. However, these crops do not contain adequate amounts of all necessary nutrients to prevent malnutrition. They can therefore be genetically engineered to contain additional vitamins and minerals. This will go a long way in alleviating nutrient deficiencies in the population.
Thirdly, genetically engineered crops have higher yields and hence profitability to farmers. For instance, under similar conditions, an acre of land under hybrid maize seed can yield a maximum of 60 bags as opposed to that of GMO maize which can yield up to 200 bags. Farmers will have a reason to smile as they will no longer toil in vain.
I have a hunch that those opposed to GMOs are doing so on account of their fear of innovation. Such reactions are not unexpected. Prior to the entry of mobile phones in the country, there were a number of people opposed to their use on account of their emitting radio- active elements that cause cancer. Today, slightly over half of Kenyans own at least one mobile phone. Paul Collier, an economist at Oxford University opines that “genetic modification is analogous to nuclear power: nobody loves it, but climate change has made its adoption imperative.”
From the foregoing, the government should legalize the consumption as well as the planting of GMOs. In the meantime, I humbly request politicians who have united in their appetitive enthusiasm to hit at the cabinet and particularly at the Prime Minister for vouching for GMO maize to rethink their stand. Let us not end up with more deaths of innocent famine stricken Kenyans on account of their hemorrhaging partisan politics. Let it not be said that our “politicians fascinate because they constitute such a paradox; they are the elite that accomplishes mediocrity for the public good.”
TOME FRANCIS,
http://twitter.com/tomefrancis
BISHOP MUSYIMI AND PROF. ole KIYAPI FOR PRESIDENT!
The good professor openly and shamelessly campaigns to become Kenya’s next president after Mwai Kibaki and yet his appointer, the President, does not sack him for that. Is this man sponsored by PNU to spoil for Raila Amolo Odinga come 2012 general elections? Why has he broken the law by campaigning openly yet the PNU president Mwai Kibaki does not care a hoot?
Bishop Musyimi openly campaigned as a”NO” proponent during the change the constitution refrandum 2010. It was rummored that he received huge sums of money from the Republican Party and an American Church during the mentioned referandum.
Taking into account the fact that a secton of Kenyans resident in the USA is predominantly pro-PNU/Republican Party and in total opposition to President Barack Obama has PNU colluded with the Republican Party to derail justice in Kenya by sponsoring both Prof. Kiyapi and Bishop Musymi in order to retain status quo (impunity, bad governance and corruption) in Kenya?
DR ODIDA OKUTHE.