pros and cons

Kenya: Is Ruto’s GMO embrace a political or practical solution to food insecurity?

By Son Gatitu

Reserved for subscribers

Posted on October 12, 2022 07:56

© Monsanto crew members count corn sprouts in a field of test hybrids in a breeding nursery near Kihei, Hawaii. (The Maui News, Matthew Thayer via AP, File) — Monsanto crew members count corn sprouts in a field of test hybrids in a breeding nursery near Kihei, Hawaii. (The Maui News, Matthew Thayer via AP, File)

Kenya’s President William Ruto has overturned a 10-year ban on importation or cultivation of genetically modified crops (GMO) in the East African country, heralding a new dawn in the country’s shaky agricultural sector. During his third week in office, Ruto used his predecessor’s outgoing cabinet to overturn a decision that had been resisted for a decade, but will this be the magic bullet to resolving the perennial food insecurity?

On 3 October, Ruto chaired his second cabinet meeting since ascending to the presidency in what has become significant policy pronouncements in his nascent reign.

There's more to this story

Get unlimited access to our exclusive journalism and features today. Our award-winning team of correspondents and editors report from over 54 African countries, from Cape Town to Cairo, from Abidjan to Abuja to Addis Ababa. Africa. Unlocked.

Subscribe Now

cancel anytime

Already a a subscriber Sign In

More Politics

Sima Gabon Gabon’s transitional Prime Minister Raymond Ndong Sima in Libreville, 10 September 2023 ©AFP

two year deadline

Gabon’s new Prime Minister Raymond Ndong Sima: ‘I hesitated’ Heading Gabon’s new government, ex-opposition member Raymond Ndong Sima has taken up his post as prime minister of the transition.

Zimbabwe’s new president Emmerson Mnangagwa and his wife Auxillia in 2017. (Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko)

Nepo babies

Zimbabwe: Ignoring the party, Mnangagwa selects his friends and family cabinet Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has stocked the cabinet with friends and relatives, an official change from his first term.

FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu waves at a crowd, during his swearing-in ceremony in Abuja FILE PHOTO: Nigerian President Bola Tinubu waves at a crowd, during his swearing-in ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria, May 29, 2023. ©REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja

Indigenous pressure

Nigeria: Court ruling reignites clamour for Abuja’s state-status After Nigeria’s presidential election court ruled that the capital should be treated like a 37th state, Abuja’s original inhabitants are calling for a...

FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Cocoa beans are pictured next to a warehouse at the village of Atroni, near Sunyani © FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Cocoa beans are pictured next to a warehouse at the village of Atroni, near Sunyani, Ghana April 11, 2019. Picture taken April 11, 2019. REUTERS/Ange Aboa/File Photo/File Photo – RC2353A8341Z

Not enough

Ghana: Cocoa farmers still disgruntled despite hiked price The announcement on 9 September that cocoa price went up from GH¢800 to GH¢1,308 ($113) per bag evoked mixed responses from farmers.