Uasin Gishu Woman rep moves parliament to ban 237 harmful pesticides
Uasin Gishu Woman Rep seeks a ban on 237 harmful chemicals
By James Gitaka
Uasin Gishu County Woman representative and the Deputy Speaker National Assembly Gladys Boss Shollei has tabled a motion in the National Assembly seeking a ban in the importation of toxic pesticides that have already been banned in the European Countries.
The Uasin Gishu Woman Representative Gladys Boss Shollei has raised concerns that agricultural produce found to have harmful chemical residue in the international markets find its way back to Kenya thus posing threats to food security.
Shollei seeks a ban on 237 pesticides and herbicides that were found to be harmful and has blamed the Pesticide Control and Product Board (PCPB) and Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBs) for allowing the importation
“While use of pesticides remains an integral part of modern agriculture, we must immediately stop spraying our food with chemicals that have been shown to be particularly harmful. Pesticides already banned in European countries due to their high toxicity should not be available in Kenya” Said Shollei.
She has listed Europe, the United States of America, Australia, and China as some of the countries that were producing the harmful pesticides but sending produce that was found to have chemical components of their products abroad.
“If the pesticides with certain chemical components are not good for their countries of manufacture, why are they good for Africa, why are those agro chemicals being used in Kenya,” she posed.
She has attributed the harmful chemicals to the rising cases of cancer in the Country.
Shollei had initially petitioned the twelve Parliament to ban the harmful chemicals but the matter was referred to the PCPB which is mandated to regulate ago-chemicals- the body she has accused of allowing the importation of the said harmful chemicals into the Country.
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