A study by a government agency has recommended the establishment of incubation hubs for innovators and start-ups on modern biotechnology activities in all counties across the Country.
“The establishment of biotechnology innovation hubs for societal development, including in the counties will go alone way in solving various challenges in food and nutrition security,” reads the report on national requirements for manpower development and capacity building in biosafety in Kenya, 2025 which was commissioned by the National Biosafety Authority and conducted by the University of Nairobi.
The study reinforces calls by the Council of Governors, CECM Agriculture Caucus call for collaboration between the Counties and National Biosafety Authority in adoption of modern biotechnology particularly genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the Country.
According to Dr. Kiplimo Arap Lagat, who is the Secretary of CECM Agriculture Caucus, the Constitution mandates Counties to manage agriculture, health, environment and therefore working with the Authority will go a long way to promoting modern biotechnology.
“As the country looks ahead in biotechnology and the possible areas of improvement, it is clear that the collaboration of all stakeholders plays a great role and the National Biosafety Authority will not limit innovation, but oversee it as its mandate dictates; ensuring safety of human, animal health and the environment,” added Dr. Lagat
On the study, the report further recommends the establish centers of excellence in biotechnology within strategic institutions for developing local expertise, fostering innovation, and driving socio-economic development.
“These centers will facilitate research, training, and the application of biotechnology to address national priorities, such as healthcare, agriculture, and environmental sustainability,” adds the report.
Already Kenya has embraced Genome Editing (GEd) technology particularly through research on crops and animals to enhance food security and address challenges like disease resistance.
The study revealed that thirty seven percent (37.87%) of the institutions declared that they use modern biotechnologies for GM agricultural biotechnology; 22.13% for bioinformatics purposes and 12.34% for veterinary health reasons.
“Majority of the biotechnology products (74.19%) were at the stage characterized as “Research and Development”; 9.68% of the products were at the stage of confined field trials. The findings indicated that most of the biotechnology products are focused more on research and development,” added the study.
The study further indicates that the inadequacy of human resource development opportunities for scientists can affect scientist’s participation in modern biotechnology activities; therefore, adequate development opportunities should be provided for scientists to enable their participation in modern biotechnology.
“Develop or strengthen national biosafety legislation, including regulatory and certification frameworks for institutions handling modern biotechnology activities. Therefore, need to strengthen national institutions and operational mechanisms, including GMO detection and identification, capacity building in GMO risk assessment, risk management, and risk communication,” added the study.
The report also wants the government to ensure that biosafety policies and legislation are aligned with other relevant policies, such as those on environment, health, and food safety and implement mechanisms for ongoing monitoring, evaluation, and adaptation of biosafety regulations and practices to ensure their effectiveness and relevance.
The study aimed to provide a quantitative picture of biotechnology activities in the country (according to international standards), to identify needs and constraints and to fulfill the national and international obligations of the National biosafety Authority (NBA).
Results from the study revealed that there was inadequacy in human resources development opportunities. The most inadequate were: financial and other incentives (47.41%), availability of technical support staff (30.37%), training/Self-development opportunities (28.15%), career advancement (27.41%) and availability of complementary experts (26.67%).
Majority of the respondents rated access to funding (research and seed grants) (81.48%) followed by short biosafety course (76.30%), academic-industry linkages (73.33%) and annual conferences on biosafety in modern biotechnology (60.74%) as some of the most important strategies to improve biosafety capacity building of institutions.
Therefore, need for strengthening both human resources and infrastructural capacity to increase participation in biosafety in modern biotechnology in Kenya.
