Anne Maina, National Coordinator of the Biodiversity and Biosafety Association of Kenya (BIBA-Kenya) and Board Member of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), discussed her organization’s opposition to genetically modified organisms in episode 12 of The Battle for African Agriculture podcast.
The podcast series, hosted by Dr. Million Belay who serves as AFSA General Coordinator, launched in August 2025 to examine colonial legacies in African food systems and promote agroecological alternatives rooted in justice, biocultural diversity, and food sovereignty. New episodes release every Friday on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and RSS feeds, with content also appearing across AFSA social media channels.
Kenya’s relationship with GMOs has featured intense legal battles since 2022 when the government lifted a decade-old import ban, prompting civil society organizations including BIBA-Kenya and the Kenya Peasants League to file court challenges. In March 2025, the Court of Appeal issued a conservatory order blocking GMO imports pending full determination of the appeal, ruling that the precautionary principle favored granting protection during litigation.
The original ban was implemented through cabinet memo on November 8, 2012, following growing concerns over genetically modified food safety. Maina has consistently argued that the 2022 decision to lift restrictions lacked adequate public participation and failed to share sufficient information about potential risks with Kenyan citizens.
BIBA-Kenya’s main objective is ensuring the public remains aware and alert on issues concerning environment, agriculture, livestock, food safety, health, and biodiversity. The organization works with small-scale farmers and has called upon the Kenyan government and other African governments to proceed carefully before embracing genetically modified organisms.
Maina has emphasized that the struggle for seed sovereignty represents a battle against corporate control over livelihoods and food systems, celebrating court decisions as victories for farmers and reaffirmations of rights to save and exchange seeds without interference. She has called on government to prioritize agroecology as the sustainable alternative to industrial agriculture.
Kenya Peasants League representative David Otieno stated that GMOs are not solutions to food insecurity but instead deepen dependency on multinational agribusinesses, threaten biodiversity, and compromise farmers’ ability to control their food systems. He emphasized the need for comprehensive legal and institutional frameworks factoring potential adverse health, environmental, and socioeconomic impacts before policy shifts are implemented.
A survey conducted by the Route to Food Initiative in December 2021 showed that a majority of Kenyans (57 percent) are unwilling to consume GMOs. The Biodiversity and Biosafety Association of Kenya expressed disappointment with government announcements regarding GMO importation, stating it would interfere with consumer rights directly.
Maina has argued that GMO crops are heavily dependent on synthetic fertilizers and toxic pesticides like RoundUp that have been linked to cancer, and that climate change threatens GMO survival without adequate water. She contends the switch to GMOs will lead to biodiversity loss with negative impacts on nutrition.
The November 2024 launch of Kenya National Agroecology Strategy for Food Systems Transformation was described as a key milestone by civil society organizations advocating for alternatives to industrial agriculture. The May 2025 seed litigation case is expected to be crucial in determining the future of Kenya’s food systems, with advocates fighting not just against GMOs but for protection of indigenous seed varieties and farmers’ rights to save and exchange seeds.
Dr. Million Belay is co-founder and general coordinator of AFSA, a network of farmers’ organizations, non-governmental organization networks, consumer movements, and small-scale producers advocating for agroecology, food sovereignty, and the rights of small-scale food producers in Africa. He is also a member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems and founder of MELCA-Ethiopia, an indigenous organization working on agroecology, intergenerational learning, conservation of forests, and livelihoods of local communities and indigenous peoples.
Dr. Belay stated he started the podcast to challenge the colonial mindset that still shapes food systems and to elevate voices of those building agriculture based on dignity, ecology, and African knowledge. Hakim Baliraine, Chair of AFSA, emphasized the podcast connects dots between biodiversity loss, the climate crisis, and the industrial food model while spotlighting agroecology as the path forward.
The Battle for African Agriculture features conversations with scientists, civil society leaders, and activists working at the intersection of food systems, power, and ecology. The series is made possible through generous support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and TROCAIRE.
AFSA represents the continental voice for food sovereignty and agroecology in Africa as the largest network of networks on the continent, with more than 30 network members having a combined potential reach of 200 million Africans. Its membership embraces farmers, indigenous communities, pastoralists, hunters and gatherers, fisherfolk, consumer networks, women and youth networks, faith-based organizations, and civil society organizations.
