Ratification of pesticides in Kenya

The latest update of the Pest Control Products Bill, 2022 was published in Kenya in April 2022. It represents an urgent update to the existing Kenyan pesticide regulation.

After various analyses, it has been found that Kenya was exporting food and other kinds of products containing pesticide residues above the maximum allowable levels. The study was conducted by renowned organization Kenya Organic Agriculture Network. During their study, they found an excess level of acephate in some samples of tomatoes that were collected from Kirinyaga County. Acephate is an endocrine disruptor that possibly has some carcinogenic and neurotoxicant effects.

If the proposal is amended, Kenya will have to promote Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), as per the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).  The main aim of GAPs is to improve the quality, safety, and sustainability of food and agricultural products and at the same time maintain environmental, economic, and social sustainability.

The function of the pesticidal regulation is to set a limit for the residue allowed in foods or animal feeds i.e., Maximum Residual Limit (MRL) as per international standards. The government of Kenya has put a limitation on the active ingredient only, which has heavy curtailment on other jurisdictions and halts adaptation of GAPs.

In short, the pesticide legislation in Kenya does not provide the legal basis for urgent and comprehensive action against the negative effects of these harmful chemicals’ environment. Therefore, the Kenyan authorities must fast-track the passage of the proposed Pest Control Product Bill, 2022 and implement GAP as soon as possible.