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{
    "id": 560207,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/560207/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 32,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Ndiema",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1067,
        "legal_name": "Henry Tiole Ndiema",
        "slug": "henry-tiole-ndiema"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am trying to reduce it because it is too long. The national framework oversees GMO activities in our country; this chronology of events in policy making shows that as a country, Kenya is prepared to promote the production, commercialization and use of genetically modified food and products. The Government has also published four regulations that cover all areas of GMOs, including research, production, import, export, trans-boundary, using industries, food and feed. The development agenda for Kenya is anchored on Vision 2030 which is the development blue print for the country which aims to create a globally competitive and prosperous country with high quality of life by 2030. In the medium term plan, one of the priority programmes of the Kenya Government is delivery of genetically modified crop varieties for commercial production by Kenyan farmers by 2017. The objective of this project is to facilitate the commercialization of genetically modified crop varieties as products of modern biotechnology. The above actions by the Government demonstrate openness and willingness to embrace modern technologies that will supplement existing agricultural methods in food production, but in a responsible and well regulated manner. This includes the use of GMOs. In this respect, the Government is cognizant of the need to continuously review and strengthen mitigation measures, put in place and build sufficient capacity to handle GMOs. With regard to the second question to state whether Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) is a genetically modified crop and if so, what is the Government’s position on its production; the answer is as follows: WEMA is a public-private partnership consortium to develop and deploy royalty free African crop tolerant and insect pest protected white maize varieties for farmers. The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) based in Nairobi, Kenya is leading the partnership. The WEMA is a research project being implemented in five countries, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa, as a response to addressing challenges arising from the climate change by developing and promoting maize varieties that are drought tolerant and insect resistant. WEMA partners are involved in research and production."
}