Gatonye Gathura
28 August 2008
Nairobi — Kenyan scientist Calestous Juma has told Parliament to be brave enough and adopt the proposed Biotechnology Bill.
Prof Juma, who was presenting Africa's Heads of State and Governments' report on biotechnology in Nairobi yesterday said the country had wasted too much time in meetings and conferences to appease so-called stakeholders while its people sunk deeper into poverty, hunger and malnutrition.
The report titled, "Freedom to Innovate", had been undertaken by a high-level panel on modern biotechnology, led by Prof Juma, who teaches at Harvard University in the US, at the request of the continent's leaders.
Good science
He said opposition debate on biotechnology was not based on good science, but commercial interests from outside the continent.
"We should be able to choose the technology that will best serve our needs," he said.
He criticised the recent statement by Prince Charles claiming genetic technology will be the world's biggest disaster. "His [view] is not based on scientific evidence, but his significant interests in organic foods industry," Prof Juma said.
He said for example that Kenya could keep missing out on important technologies like a recent one, which doubles the maturing rates for tilapia. "Imagine what kind of impact such a development could have on local food security."
The proposed Biosafety Bill, he said should not aim at controlling technology.
"The current debate is talking about controlling products that are not even here. History indicates that rules evolve alongside innovation. What we should be talking about is co-evolving but not get bogged down in the egg and the hen debate."
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