NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 15 – Kenya has completed national performance trials (NPTs) for genetically modified (GM) cassava, paving the way for possible commercial release, the national regulator has announced.
National Biosafety Authority (NBA) Acting Director of Technical Services Josphat Muchiri said the disease-resistant cassava varieties are now awaiting commercialization approval.
The GM cassava varieties were developed by the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) to resist Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD), which causes browning and malformation of edible roots, and to improve drought tolerance. The NPTs were conducted in Mtwapa, Kandara and Alupe, with the aim of boosting yields and strengthening food security ahead of full commercial release in Kenya and Uganda.
Muchiri said Kenya has already commercialised other GM crops, including Bt cotton, which was approved in 2020 and is currently grown on about 10,000 acres across Eastern, Central, Western and Nyanza regions. Bt maize was approved for commercialization in 2025, although High Court conservatory orders have since halted its rollout.
He explained that Bt maize varieties are engineered to resist pests such as the maize stalk borer and fall armyworm, while Bt cotton is modified to withstand the cotton bollworm.
Other GM crops under development or approval include cassava resistant to CBSD, herbicide-tolerant soybean, and drought-tolerant maize designed to withstand water stress.
Beyond crops, Muchiri noted that some GM organisms have been approved globally, including GM mosquitoes in the United States and Brazil, GM ornamental “GloFish” in the United States and Canada, and GM salmon in the same markets.
Research and development on GMOs in Kenya is being carried out by institutions including KALRO, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Kenyatta University, the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology.
Muchiri further revealed that the Authority’s mandate is set to expand to include biosecurity as a national security issue.
He said the NBA is reviewing a proposed National Security Biosafety Act that would cover both biosafety and biosecurity, including oversight of emerging technologies such as genome editing, synthetic biology and gene-drive technologies, which are considered potential security risks.
