National Assembly Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss Shollei on Wednesday, March 13 raised the alarm over the existence of 262 toxic pesticides being sold in the Kenyan market.
Speaking at Parliament, Shollei complained that despite these pesticides being banned in foreign countries, manufacturers were still finding a way to sneak them into the Kenyan market.
She added the manufacturers were renaming some of the brands to deceive farmers who purchase them unknowingly.
"They gave people cancer and were removed from the market abroad but in Kenya, they are being sold under a different name. All these products are in our market and it is known to the authorities," she stated.
The former Uasin Gishu Woman Representative faulted the relevant authorities including the Pests Control Products Board (PCPB) for failing to ban the said brands that have put the lives of Kenyans in danger.
She also accused the Parliamentary Health Committee of failing to take the necessary action and ensure the removal the said products from the market. Shollei noted that only a few of the pesticides had been banned since she filed a petition on the same in 2019.
"I think one of the things we should be asking in the house is why the Health Committee not acting, yet these are known facts," she stated.
Additionally, the Deputy Speaker asked the Ministry of Agriculture to act promptly to stop the import of some of the pesticides which are manufactured abroad and sold to developing and third-world countries.
She further urged the relevant bodies to emulate their equivalents in other countries such as the US and Europe which compensated farmers after they started experiencing health problems after using the pesticides.
The lawmaker remarked that if the country was fully committed to the prevention of cancer, then it should ban the products.
"This has been brought before the PCPB several times, they have been incorrigible and continued to be in bed with the agricultural companies," she stated.
Notably, Shollei spoke during discussions on the amendment of the Cancer Prevention and Control Act adding that it would be counterproductive to amend the Act and fail to remove the toxic products.
In February 2023, researchers from the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) conducted a study to establish the possible link between the use of pesticides on crops and the rising cases of cancer in the Mount Kenya region.
Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung a German non-profit organisation in October 2022 called for an end to the importation of pesticides which had been flagged as toxic.
"Pesticides that are not allowed for use in countries such as Germany where they are produced are still exported to other countries. In Kenya, 44 per cent of the total volume of pesticides used are banned in Europe," Joachim Paul the organisation's director noted adding that the products pose more danger to women compared to men.
