Kenya has joined other East Africa Countries in coming up with a regional biotechnology strategy which prioritizes equitable access to biotechnology benefits, preservation of biodiversity, and public education to build trust and acceptance.
Kenya’s National Biosafety Authority (NBA)- which is a competent authority for biosafety, and designated as the National Focal Point for both the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the Biosafety Clearing House participated in the validation of the strategy which aims to harmonize biotechnology policies and regulations to overcome fragmented national frameworks that slow innovation and complicated trade.
The East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO) Executive Secretary Dr. Sylvance Okoth while addressing the delegates from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, USA among others in Nairobi, called on the experts to look deeper into the pillars of the strategy and incorporate views presented during the workshop.
” Let us help Partner States lagging behind,” said Dr. Okoth during the three-day forum and who heads the Commission which is an institution of the East African Community (EAC) with the mandate to promote and coordinate the development, management and application of Science and Technology to support regional integration and socio-economic development.
National Biosafety Authority Acting Director Biosafety Awareness, Assessment and Collaborations Mr. Josphat Muchiri underscored the importance of having a harmonized strategy.
“This 10(ten)-year strategy, projected to run from 2026-2036, will boost crucial regional adoption of safety and implementation standards. As a country we have been in the forefront of championing for this strategy,” said Mr. Muchiri.
Already Kenya has established a multi-secretarial committee for the implementation of the Cartagena protocol on biosafety, which is being led by the National Biosafety Authority as the Competent National institution on matters of GMOs.
The Biosafety Act Cap 320 mandates the National Biosafety Authority to promote awareness and education among the general public in matters relating to biosafety as well as establish a Biosafety Clearing House (BCH) to serve as a means through which information is made available to facilitate the exchange of scientific, technical, environmental, and legal information on, and experience with, living modified organisms.
The Authority has clear jurisdiction over all genetically modified organisms in Kenya—whether approved, illegal, or unintended.
To support the implementation of the Biosafety Act, Kenya formulated several regulations, including the Biosafety (Contained Use) Regulations (2011), the Biosafety (Environmental Release) Regulations (2011), the Biosafety (Import, Export and Transit) Regulations (2011), and the Biosafety (Labelling) Regulations (2012). These regulatory instruments comprehensively govern aspects of genetically modified organism (GMO) research, release, commerce, and consumer information.
Additionally, Kenya has developed guidelines pertaining to risk assessment, facility certification, genome editing, and GMO testing. Laboratory quality and biorisk management standards such as ISO 20387:2018 for biobanking and ISO 35001:2019 for biorisk management are being implemented through the Kenya National Accreditation Service (KENAS).
Kenya has approved trials for genetically modified crops like banana, cassava, yam, and sorghum at KALRO, with Bt cotton cleared for commercial use and limited trials for Bt maize and virus-resistant cassava. Genetically modified food aid is allowed after safety checks, and seven genome editing projects have been approved to improve crop traits.
The East African Community (EAC) envisions a transformative future where biotechnology drives socio-economic development, food security, healthcare, environmental sustainability, and industrial growth across its Partner States from 2026/27 to 2036/37.
This Regional Biotechnology Strategy, developed by the East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO), aims to guide the safe, secure, and responsible use of innovative biotechnological tools and products, harmonizing policies and fostering collaboration to maximize benefits while mitigating risks.
“Biotechnology as a critical enabler for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, with the EAC Treaty emphasizing Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) as pillars for regional integration and development. EASTECO coordinates STI initiatives to support socio-economic progress across all eight Partner States, with development partners collaborating closely under its facilitation,” reads the strategy.
The Strategy aligns with major international frameworks including the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, African Union’s Agenda 2063, Africa CDC’s biosafety and biosecurity strategy, and the EAC Vision 2050.
The frameworks collectively underscore biotechnology’s role in eradicating hunger, promoting health, ensuring environmental stewardship, and fostering unity and prosperity in East Africa.
International agreements governing biotechnology, such as the World Health Organization’s biosafety guidelines, the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Cartagena and Nagoya Protocols, WTO agreements including TRIPS and SPS, and other treaties, provide essential ethical, legal, and operational standards that the Regional Strategy embraces to ensure responsible biotechnology use.
The Regional Strategy emphasizes biosafety protocols to protect humans, environment, and economy from biological risks and biosecurity measures to prevent misuse of biotechnology, especially considering dual-use concerns like bioterrorism.
Ethical considerations, particularly in human gene editing, gene drives, artificial intelligence (AI) and synthetic biology, are addressed through regulatory frameworks, public participation, and oversight committees to ensure informed consent, respect for biodiversity, and equitable benefit-sharing.
The EAC aims to harmonize biotechnology policies and regulations to overcome fragmented national frameworks that slow innovation and complicated trade.
Burundi has been a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity since 14 July 1997, a signatory to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety since 31 December 2008, and to the Nagoya Protocol since 23 June 2014 while the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol.
Others are; Rwanda which joined the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1995 and ratified the Cartagena Protocol in 2002 and the Nagoya Protocol in 2014. In February 2023, it implemented a Biosafety Law to regulate LMOs/GMOs, aiming to protect biodiversity, human health, and address socio-economic concerns. Somalia joined the Convention on Biological Diversity on December 10, 2009, as its 193rd Party. It later acceded to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety on July 26, 2010, becoming the 160th Party that October during the International Year of Biodiversity and the Protocol’s tenth anniversary.
South Sudan joined the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in February 2014 but has not yet acceded to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety or the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol, though both processes are ongoing.
Tanzania joined the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in March 2003, with the Vice-President’s Office serving as the National Biosafety Focal Point and providing data to the Biosafety Clearing House. The country ratified the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol in 2018.
Uganda ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1993 and later joined related protocols. The National Biotechnology and Biosafety Policy was adopted in 2008, but while the UNCST Act provides temporary regulation, it does not offer comprehensive oversight or support commercialization.
