DROUGHT PERSUADES KENYANS TO EMBRACE GMO The sight of an abandoned home, characterized by a small grass thatched house with

cracked mud walls, and what seems to be the only vegetation in the homestead is a dried out tree with sticks left to show off its existence, dirty sufurias and a fire place that was lit more than two weeks ago is what greets you in Turkana Kenya. The children are not lively anymore and one can count their ribs in order and they hardly have any energy to play around as is the custom in most homesteads. Their mothers have nothing to offer them, their breasts hang sagging with no flesh, and what was a beautiful, well endowed woman is reduced to a walking skeleton. The men of the home, those that are lucky to have survived this far, sit in a circle at a distance, waiting, hoping against all hope, that a good Samaritan will arrive with at least something to feed their children, women and themselves, if at all it will be enough to go round. This is what has hit the Northern parts of the country over this drought period. The government has done the much it could to help its people but a lot more are dying day after the other. What is ironical is that, this happens every time there is drought in the country. Question is, when will Kenya stop recording death polls of its citizens due to starvation? Recently there has been a heated debate on if Kenya should embark on Genetically Modified maize, to eradicate drought. According to Wikipedia encyclopedia, GMO foods are foods derived from genetically modified organisms, (GMOs) which have had specific changes introduced into their DNA by genetic engineering techniques. These techniques are much more precise than mutagenesis (mutation breeding) where an organism is exposed to radiation or chemicals to create a non-specific but stable change.

Part of this change being suggested is that the foods are pest resistance, have herbicidal properties and have long shelf life and increased nutritional value thus eradicating the problem of drought. Most people however have the feel that these kinds of foods pose harm to mans health as they contain a lot of chemicals. This has raised concern and debates in the country as some members of parliament are for it while others are against it. According to the Star newspaper, several MPs and non-governmental organization have opposed GM foods. We need protection from the government from these unscrupulous traders who can sell anything to the public just for their financial gain, said Lari MP David Njuguna. Parliamentary Agriculture committee chairman John Mututho also opposes import of GM foods he told SciDev.Net: "GM maize is not even consumed in South Africa why should we introduce it here?"Mututho said non-GM maize could be imported from countries such as Malawi, as well as parts of parts of Kenya's central province where rain has been normal. While Mututho and others oppose its importation to the country, others fully support the move. According to SciDev.Net former minister of agriculture, William Ruto, and agriculture secretary, Wilson Songa, have publicly voiced support for GM maize, saying the country cannot run away from the technology. Ruto said Kenya should import the GM maize and politicians should leave scientists to verify its suitability. Further, John Kariuki, director of the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute's (KARI) Naivasha centre, said no country can feed its people without embracing GM technology. He said that KARI, the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) and government chemists could test the environmental safety and suitability of GMOs.
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In her support, the chair of the National Biosafety Authority, Miriam Kinyua, agreed that Kenya has the capacity to test GM crops, as the biotechnology department at Nairobi University is a major testing facility, and there are four other centers in the country with skilled staff who can carry out thorough tests on GMOs."We have guidelines, and regulations are being published; Kenya has the capacity to check the status of GMOs," said Kinyua, who also blamed controversies about GMOs for the delay in publishing regulations. So far Kenya has legalized the move to import the genetically modified maize. According to Sundays post by the Daily Nation newspaper, imports are now legal after the guidelines were on gazette on Friday. Failure to adhere to the guidelines attracts a 10 year jail term, or a 20 million shillings fine or both. As a country, it is time we work towards eradicating drought. It is a shaming for a country as small as Kenya to be unable to feed its own citizens while Japan which has close to triple our population feeds its own and is on its way to becoming a supper power. Since it is evident that we do not know how to plan ahead, we can as well use the genetically modified maize as is has long shelf life and is pest resistance. The scientists have also tested it and found it to be good for use. At least this way we are sure to have enough stored in our silos to go all year round whether there is drought or not.