The National Biosafety Authority (NBA) has announced plans to build its headquarters at the Directorate of Veterinary Services in Kabete, which will also host a Regional Reference Molecular Laboratory.
The Authority’s Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Nehemia Ngetich, stated that the headquarters will also function as a demonstration field for approved genetically modified crops.
“This is a big milestone, considering NBA has been renting office spaces which has posed a challenge in establishing a permanent molecular lab for Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) detection and other molecular tests,” announced Ngetich during the signing of a MoU with Directorate of Veterinary Services Director Dr. Allan Azengelle.
The event was also attended by Prof. Jenesio Kinyamario, Chairperson of the NBA Board of Directors, along with board member Mohamed Hussein and Directors Moses Sande, Dr. Ann Karimi, and Josphat Muchiri, among others.
At the same time, Dr. Azengele welcomed the signing of the MoU signing, emphasising that it will significantly aid the institution in fulfilling its mandate.
Meanwhile, the Authority says it has established a strong legal and institutional framework to regulate GMOs and their derived products. It confirmed that it is required to exercise general supervision and control over the transfer, handling, and use of GMOs to ensure the safety of human and animal health and to provide an adequate level of environmental protection.
The new GMO Testing Laboratory which will serve the region at large was commissioned by the Authority in June 2022 at the NACOSTI Building, which currently hosts the NBA headquarters.
The laboratory has increased the NBA’s capacity to test for GMOs for regulatory samples collected from the points of entry and markets through surveillance and clients’ submitted samples.
Kenya is a member of the international community and a signatory to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. This multilateral environmental agreement aims to ensure a sufficient level of protection in the safe transfer, handling, and use of GMOs and their derived products.
The Authority has so far published four regulations including; Biosafety (contained Use) regulations, 2011, Biosafety (import, export and transit) regulations, 2011, Biosafety (environmental release) regulations, 2011 and Biosafety (labeling) regulations 2012.
The NBA’s role aligns closely with the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), which emphasises agricultural transformation and inclusive growth, as well as the development of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector.
The Authority has made significant progress, including the development and publication of essential biosafety regulations to support its operations and mandates.
