PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
7th March 2025
Court of Appeal Halts Government Promotion of GMOs in Landmark Ruling
Nairobi, Kenya – In a historic victory for food sovereignty, farmers’ rights, and environmental justice, the Kenya Court of Appeal blocked the Kenyan government from importing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the country. This decision marks a significant step in protecting the rights of small-scale farmers and consumers while safeguarding Kenya’s biodiversity and ecological balance.
The ruling comes in response to an appeal by the Kenya Peasants League, Biodiversity and Biosafety Association of Kenya (BIBA) and 18 other parties, which challenged the government’s October 2022 decision to lift its ban.
Defending Farmers’ Rights and National Food Sovereignty The ruling acknowledges the serious concerns posed by GMOs to local agricultural systems, health, and the environment.
“We celebrate this ruling as a major victory for small-scale farmers across Kenya,” said David Otieno, a representative of the Kenya Peasants League. “GMOs are not the solution to food insecurity in our country. Instead, they deepen dependency on multinational agribusinesses, threaten biodiversity, and compromise farmers’ ability to control their food systems.”
Upholding the Public Interest The Court of Appeal, in its ruling, emphasized that the public interest is best served by maintaining the ban while the legal and policy questions surrounding GMOs are fully addressed. There is a need for a comprehensive legal and institutional framework to address the potential adverse health, environmental, and socio-economic impacts of GMOs before any policy shifts are implemented.
A Call for Agroecological Solutions Kenyan farmers and food sovereignty advocates are now calling on the government to prioritize agroecology as the sustainable alternative to industrial agriculture. “A key milestone was in November 2024 when the Kenya National Agroecology Strategy for Food Systems Transformation was launched by the Ministry of Agriculture” said Anne Maina, the National Coordinator of the Biodiversity and Biosafety Association of Kenya.
“We urge the government to invest in smallholder farmers, indigenous seed systems, and agroecological farming practices rather than pushing harmful technologies that serve corporate interests,” said Million Belay, General Coordinator of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa.
Next Steps Following this ruling, all government actions related to the introduction and promotion of GMOs in Kenya must cease immediately. The case will proceed to a full hearing, where the Court of Appeal will determine whether the lifting of the GMO ban was lawful and in the best interests of the country.
Kenyan farmers, civil society organizations, and allies around the world stand united in defending Kenya’s food sovereignty.
For further inquiries, please contact:
David Otieno, oticdesq@gmail.com
Anne Maina, anne.maina@bibakenya.org
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