In Summary

• Court had earlier placed the ban.
• David Otieno who is the petitioner is urging the courts to grant them full trial.

It’s a win to Kenya Peasant League and other petitioners this is after the High Court extended the ban on GMO foods  for the second time in latest directive.

The ban will now stay upto to 31st Oct  this year when the matter will come up again.

Kenya Peasant League boss David Otieno who is the petitioner in the matter has applauded the court’s  decision  to proceed to full trial.

He shot down claims by the government side that the matter came to end at a  Nanyuki Court when it dismissed a case filed by Law Society of Kenya on GMO  safety in the country.

“The Nanyuki matter is totally different with what we filled in court… the Nanyuki matter that was dismissed focused specifically on the legality of the adoption of Bt Maize as regulated by the Biosafety Act, 2009 .’’ David told  the media.

Government Failed Efforts

Several attempts by  Kenyan Government to have the orders barring the importation, distribution & adoption of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) products in Kenya lifted failed with  High Court extending the ban again.

Kenya Peasant League Lawyer, Kevin Oriri, avers that  that the case at the environment court as filed by the law society of Kenya was as different from the pending cases as day is from light; that whereas the ELC case centered its focus specifically on the legality of the adoption of Bt Maize as regulated by the Biosafety Act, 2009.

He adds that  the cases pending  predominantly to the constitutionality of the drastic Cabinet decision to lift the ban on GMOs, that had been placed back in 2012, without involving the stakeholders and the public.