The Kenyan Court of Appeal has ruled that the government cannot import genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the country.
The ruling comes in response to an appeal filed by the Kenya Peasants League, the Biodiversity and Biosafety Association of Kenya (BIBA), and 18 other parties challenging the government’s October 2022 decision to lift the ban.
According to David Otieno, a representative of the Kenya Peasants League, this decision is a significant step toward protecting the rights of small-scale farmers and consumers while also protecting Kenya’s biodiversity and ecosystem.
He said the ruling acknowledges the serious concerns posed by GMOs to local agricultural systems, health, and the environment.
“We celebrate this ruling as a major victory for small-scale farmers across Kenya,” said Otieno.
“GMOs are not the solution to food insecurity in our country. Instead, they deepen dependency on multinational agribusinesses, threaten biodiversity, and compromise farmers ’ability to control their food systems.”
In 2012, the Cabinet imposed a ban on GMOs, which remained in effect until 2022.
The Kenya Kwanza administration lifted the ban through a Cabinet decision on October 3, 2022, with the move officially gazetted on October 26, 2022.
This decision prompted several court cases from agroecology advocates and other concerned citizens, who raised concerns about the potential harm GMOs could pose to human and animal health.
In its ruling on March 7, 2025, the Court of Appeal stated that the public interest is best served by maintaining the ban while the legal and policy questions surrounding GMOs are fully addressed.
