Food safety civil society, the Route to Food Initiative (RTFI) and partners have today commended the government for a landmark decision to ban over 50 pesticides classified as highly hazardous pesticides (HHP) in the market.

In a joint press briefing, the partners said that if fully implemented, the decision marks a decisive step towards safeguarding human health and biodiversity and Kenya’s ecological integrity, aligning with global best practices as stipulated by United Nations agencies, the Food and Agricultural Organisation and the World Health Organisation (FAO and WHO), a crucial step towards a safer, more sustainable food system.

“We are calling for the full implementation, stronger regulatory oversight and farmer-centred alternatives for a toxic-free food system,” they said.

The civil society has also applauded the enactment of the Business Laws Amendment Act, 2024, that introduces a provision that addresses the issue of double standards in chemical regulation, whereby hazardous substances banned or severely restricted in exporting countries have continued to be imported and used in Kenya.

The Act provides a robust legislative foundation to support and enforce the announced ban of 50 pesticide products.

“For years, civil society, researchers, farmer organisations and public health have been advocating for the phase-out of the HHPS, and we are hopeful that the list of 50 pesticide products targeted by the ban will be made public and will include the highly hazardous and widely used active ingredients long identified as a priority for regulatory action,” they said in the read statement.

They identified Mancozeb, Paraquat, Glyphosate, Carbendazim, and several synthetic pyrethroids such as Lambda-cyhalothrin, Cypermethrin, Deltamethrin and other pesticides that are extensively applied across Kenya’s staple and export-oriented crops and have repeatedly been documented to pose significant acute and chronic effects.

They urged the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development and the regulatory agency PCPB to prioritise active ingredients with the highest combination of intrinsic hazard and exposure likelihood, base recommendations on comprehensive risk assessments, international precedents and local exposure data, and also ensure that the banned substances are those linked to demonstrable adverse effects on human health and our biodiversity/ecosystems.

The group has gone further and advocated for establishing a multidisciplinary advisory panel of independent toxicologists, Eco toxicologists, agronomists, public health experts, farmers’ representatives and civil society organizations to review pesticide data, assess regulatory proposals and provide evidence-based, conflict-free recommendations to PCPB or a future authority in its place.

The responsible authorities and PCPB should establish clear, regular and transparent mechanisms for stakeholder engagement throughout pesticide review processes as well as meaningful consultation that is proactive in disseminating information through multiple accessible channels.

The civil society group has also recommended that the national assembly, the national treasury and the ministry of agriculture and livestock development strengthen the capacity of all institutions mandated to regulate, surveil and enforce pesticide management decisions as recommended by the Departmental Committee of Health Report on Public Petition 70 of 2019.

The group further welcomed the Cabinet’s recent approval of a bill to transform PCPB into a full-fledged regulatory authority, saying this legislative reform will address the governance, budgetary, and operational gaps that have historically undermined the Board’s effectiveness.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Wangari Ndirangu