A group of eight non-governmental organizations now want the Government to publicize a list of chemicals that it deemed hazardous and banned early this month.
And while lauding Agricultural CS Mutahi Kagwe for slapping a ban on 50 pesticide products from the Kenyan market, the group also called for enactment of an effective regulatory framework to check future infiltration of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) into the country.
The group stressed that if effectively implemented, the directive by Kagwe will go a long way in safeguarding human health Kenya's ecological integrity in line with global best practices, as stipulated by the FAO and WHO International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management. "We, the undersigned, commend the Government of Kenya, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, for the bold announcement to ban over 50 pesticide products from the Kenyan market on May 7 2025, by Mutahi Kagwe, Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development." read the joint statement.
The statement was dated May 15 this year and signed by The Route to Food Initiative (RTFI), Biodiversity and Biosafety Association of Kenya (biba Kenya) and Consumer Grassroots Association (CGA). "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.
