GMOs,ARE KENYANS READY TO EMBRACE IT

ARE KENYANS READY FOR GMOs

BY SAMWEL DOE

Do you know what’s in your food? The proposal to lift ban on genetically modified organisms in Kenya circulates around the production of certain truths that are at once political and scientific, contentious and technological; But GMOs issue is now articulated as a problem for both biology and power that can only be settled by truth.

Very soon if the government lifts ban on GMOs Chances will be that food on our tables might be genetically modified. But what does that mean, and what’s all the fuss about GMOs these days? The Kenyan government is to lift the ban on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) soon, Deputy President William Ruto said while he attended the official opening of the annual Bio-Safety Conference at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies in Nairobi recently.

  
In the world as of 2014, GMOs are grown, imported and used in 70 countries. Kenya is one of the countries listed as those approving research field trials. Chairman, Board of Management, National Bio safety Authority Prof Jenesio Kinyamario said that they are committed to ensuring safety in the application of biotechnology in the country. Prof Kinyamario said that the board is moving towards environmental release of reports as confirmed by two applications that has been submitted to National Bio safety Authority on two biotechnology products Bt Maize and Bt Cotton.

The National Bio safety Authority has in many cases approved World Food Program (WFP) to acquire genetically modified products for importation and trans boundary movement through Kenya for humanitarian assistance and relief supplies. These included: insect-resistant/herbicide-tolerant corn soya blend and insect-resistant/herbicide-tolerant maize meal. These approvals were said to have been granted after a food safety assessment process by eminent scientists and distinguished professionals concluded that the food products are as safe as the conventional counterparts.

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), many of us in Kenya to them sound more like something out of this world rather than anything you’d expect to find on your dinner plate. They are plants that have been changed by scientists. But they aren’t something new. They’ve been sold since 1994.

Many people — including, I’m sure, many of you — may have greater expertise in this area than I do. These debates over genetically modified foods have lived since 1990s, hoping that some fact would one day come out clearly who is on the right. It is like the story of the blind men and the elephant: when they were presented with the beast all of them touched it but everyone noticed something different and built a theory around it, and nobody saw the whole picture.

Scientists take a plant. They change the plant by adding DNA from another plant, bacteria, or virus to it. DNA is what gives everything its special characteristics. So in this way, the original plant now has new qualities. The changes can make them more resistant to disease, bugs, or drought. It can give them other qualities too, like those that affect their taste or shelf life.

The application of genetic engineering to agriculture builds on the ancient practice of selective breeding. But unlike traditional selective breeding, genetic engineering vastly expands the range of traits that can be moved into plants and enables breeders to import DNA from virtually anywhere in the biosphere. Depending on the traits selected, genetically engineered crops can increase yields, thrive when irrigated with salty water, or produce fruits and vegetables resistant to mold and rot.

Genetic modification has made plants with extra vitamins, minerals, and other benefits. Swiss researchers created a strain of “golden” rice with a lot of beta-carotene. This antioxidant is said to be good for the eyes and skin

What's another benefit of using science to build better plants, according to people who are pro-G MO? You can combine plants that could never mate in the wild. An example of this is “Roundup Ready” corn. It can survive being sprayed by the weed killer. It is made of DNA from a few different types of plants.Our urgent need here is to alleviate poverty, improve the environment, and forced to face the fact that many of us with the introduction of GMOs will no longer trust the people who produce our food. 

Right now, our political class might be doing things in haste to only address GMOs narrowly without touching larger issues like the consumers attitude towards the GMOs. Apart from its advantages over the traditional methods of agricultural food production, its reliance to Herbicides complicates its ecological effects. Herbicide resistance is the main characteristic that the biotechnology industry has chosen to introduce into plants. Farmers can spray herbicide both before and during the growing season, leaving their crops unharmed. Ecological impact, such as effects on the butterfly, bees and other natural pollinators should also be considered.

Although as it is, whether we like it or not, genetically modified foods are almost impossible to avoid.The Republic of South Africa (RSA) is the first developing country to plant genetically modified staple food – Bt white maize. Development and spread of Bt maize in RSA that started in 1998. After that, based on surveys of 33 large commercial Bt maize farmers and 368 smallholders in 2001/2, it shows that Bt maize gives higher yields for both groups and reduces pesticide use particularly for the large commercial farmers.

Most studies with GM foods indicate that they may cause some common toxic effects such as hepatic, pancreatic, renal, or reproductive effects and may alter the hematological, biochemical, and immunologic parameters. However, many years of research with animals and clinical trials are required for this assessment. For others these facts are based largely on benign misunderstandings and wishful thinking as people on the other side of the GMOs debate worry about their safety. They ask, "Do we know whether eating them over the long run can hurt people?" They say that More medical problems; besides possibly leading to cancer, GMOs can cause new allergies and hurt the effects of antibiotics. But no studies confirm this. The rise of "super weeds": Crops built to survive weed killer could breed with weeds. These “super weeds” would also survive. Farmers would have to use more and more and stronger pesticide to keep up.

If feasible solutions to the food security in Kenya are to be found; Kenya’s environmental and food security activists argue that the government needs to recognize and support organic agriculture practiced by most small scale farmers to avoid imports of genetically modified (GM) foods or its practice.  GMOs should be our last option while embracing irrigation based agriculture will be the solution. As it is we cannot predict exactly what natural climatic factors can do to our agricultural production.

While in need to adjust to technological changes in rush to bumpy harvests, we also need to take control and care of our own natural environment by watching potential adversaries’ closely. Even with the persistence threats to food security the recent recommendation by the government towards embracing genetically modified organisms should be taken with lots of care. In a wide-ranging review of a broad and complex subject we had limited space to explore fully all the factors affecting the debate over GMOs, their relative sustainability and broader impact on the environment.

 In a way, we’re all amateur health scientists, doing our best to develop hypotheses about what to fear. As creatures that must eat to survive, we have all developed a trigger suspicion of potential poisons lurking in our foods. Unlike rats, with their highly refined sense of smell and taste, humans are pretty bad at sensing dangerous chemicals. Instead, humans (the social animal) avoid danger by watching each other, and by telling stories. Telling stories has worked well in some ways: Hunter-gatherers, for example, tend to have an exquisite knowledge of poisonous plants, passed down through stories. But stories also cause confusion.

I don’t expect to find solution to this problem now, but one way I will look at it that can make all the facts lineup is just hope to get a feel for the elephant as it is, like the blind men did.

TEACHERS TAKE HOME A RIGHT NOT AGIFT

By SAMWEL DOE

For those who know me well, those we have been together in great places and have affairs with, and all that you have seen in me was developed solidly in depth by character and learning through my teachers.

  
First difficulty of this story will be to say who a teacher is. For initially I know the society at large have taught me some lessons in life. Traditionally teaching used to be a call and people did it without expecting pay. Now as it is, many people have made its meaning change in sense slowly by slowly in time.Teachers have long history of kindness, from the ancient “rabbi” one who only taught to make people enlightened and wise with no or little pay as Jesus did, to now as we may see a trade unionist who when short-changed on remunerations and allowances packages sing of solidarity together. He is seen as one who can be punished for no any other reason than that of belonging to the teaching profession. He is only to be remembered when campaigning periods near.

Now to return to my subject or rather to begin, I believe nature seems to have taken all other men wickedness and planted it on the people at the treasury and Teachers service commission. Teachers have been notoriously famous for their yearly salary strikes. How the government have sustained to hoodwink them back to work whenever they strike is very uncertain and tricky for most of us. Since the late Adeya Adongo’s time back in 1997 education is distrupted year in year out because of this incremeant dispute.The government predicts strikes as it h been seen as the gravest step teachers can take, its success or failure is a gamble too hard for a prophecy. Yet for once the court gave a reprieve to the teacher’s salary dilemma.

 The government have openly come out declining to obey this particular court order.

Therefore when I am talking of inhumanity, I have not found any jargon required to put this treacherous act that the Cs finance Henry Rotich is doing to our teachers by stating that the treasury have no funds to honor teacher’s salary increments as was ruled out by the court. It is not a just end to an adventure the teachers have dared to endure so much. Before even celebrating the first hefty pact, the victories have been submerged with disillusionment as the Cs fails teacher’s hopes of ever getting the increments soon.

Finance Cs Rotich is dying to overstrain teachers, He is of the attempt to portray the government to have diminished its resources on the very traditional terms that the past governments had,-that of lack of funds-and with readiness to defend this they have vowed not to act on the salary increments pact that the supreme court ruled in favor of teachers .The government side is seen to simply dilly-dally with the hopes that soon teachers will forget and forced back to work if they go to strike.

Over the years the strengths of our teachers have been laid in simplicity and patience and more so in their capacity to sacrifice acceptance of being people subjected to a near social and economic slavery. In the very outset and first meeting with a teacher, most of them almost say similar thing that there is a mathematical bound limitations in the figure of the salaries that their employer Teachers Service Commission offers them  if compared with others in similar or different fields of profession possessing similar qualifications.

Teachers have remained beast of burden for many years; fortunately they have been uncomplaining soldiers. With responsibility of duty and engagement they struggle to lay the foundations of success for the children of this great nation. Their unpledged allegiances to their work have prepared them in their minds to be obedient servants of the nation. They manufacture the greatest People that run our nation. My warning will be if we continue subjecting these noble people to this slavery, a common element of poverty and low self esteem will be seen in the products  this people make.

The reason why I have absolute respect for teachers is that could it not be for them, I was the next to be placed among the regiment of fools. Many people have perished because of lack of knowledge. My memory of who taught me how to read and write. Being a slow learner ,I can only  imagine the bulk of work that Madam Teacher did to me. Before I started going about the vowels, alphabets and basic one up to ten it was a total sacrifice she made. I am always sympathetic and sorry whenever I get a chance to meet her. It has been troubling why my teacher had to retire to a very desperate life. It has been hard to answer why she is now reduced to a peasant farmer and posses nothing to show for the long service she rendered to the nation building. She now remain to posses just the name  “Mwalimu” and this reminds her of her call as for her nothing much she has to smile about apart from that title .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

CAMPAIGN TO WIPE OUT ILLEGAL BREW INTOXICATED ENVIRONMENT

CAMPAIGN TO WIPE OUT ILLEGAL BREW INTOXICATED ENVIRONMENT

By Samwel Doe

Alcohol has been part of our culture and some biblical verses seem to somehow support it, for example People who are sad are advised to drink beer to temporarily erase their troubles (Proverbs 31:6). Yet the Biblical authors also call for moderation. Several passages condemn those who consumed too much beer (Isaiah 5:11, 28:7; Proverbs 20:1, 31:4). The absence of beer defines a melancholy situation, according to Isaiah 24:9. Over the years, thousands of Kenyans have been killed, blinded or rendered sterile by drinking lethal concoctions something which has forced the government to announce stringent measures to help curb the industry movers.

In February, a popular Kiambu wine and spirit bar called “Kwa Njeri” touted the fact it was selling the great tasting moonwalker on its Facebook page and it was actually revealed by the number of likes and comments that people loved it so much. The only problem? Moonwalker was legally approved by Kenya Bureau of standards and was sold openly in wine and spirits bars as cheap as kshs. 120 per bottle, the bar was operating on a 24 hrs basis as early as 6am against the Mututho laws. Revelers could walk in numbers asking for their half a bottle “Kanusu”or “kahalf” to unlock themselves. What made it even stranger was the notice that the spirit bottles had to be returned to the counter and five shillings could be refunded for the bottle which would be refilled with other drinks and sold back. This was undoubtedly the most successful waste diversion program in Kenya. I personally thought that recycling industry should all recycle standard bottles and inert glass containers to help reduce pressure on landfill space and significantly reduce pollution and green house gas (GHG) emissions.

An anonymous tipster who noticed how environment friendly the spirit dealers were getting by ordering that the bottles be returned, alerted police. The police sent undercover agents to various brew distillation dens and found out that actually the brewers were using chemical substances to lace up their drinks. Health Cabinet Secretary James Macharia was documented with Capital FM News saying that some samples collected in Embu when illegal alcohol christened   “Country man” killed several people in those two counties revealed it had 70 percent of Methanol while the concentration in Makueni was 100 percent .According to the Health Secretary, the only component allowed in brews is 40 percent ethanol and he wondered how Methanol found its way in the deadly alcohol. Acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term) exposure of humans to methanol by inhalation or ingestion may result in blurred vision, headache, dizziness, nausea, and sometimes may cause brain damage.

Brewing operations have been around for a long time. About 6,000years ago the Sumerians had discovered the fermentation process. Africans too used beer to celebrate occasions and to them it was a social phenomenon. According to Senior Assistant  Chief  Banana sub-location,Kiambaa location, Kiambu county Mr. Paul Kanyoro  “drinks in the past did not cause any harm because knowledge was little, but now people mix many drugs into the drinks making people get so much drunk and sometimes kills.”

Today, the brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies   many thousands of smaller producers ranging from backstreet brewers, to illegal brewers , the famous wines and spirits business have erupted out of demand and considered a cash cow for Kenya’s alcohol traders. Wine and spirits Bars sprout up more than churches in towns and shopping centres.The most worrying trend for drinkers was that every year, countless numbers of Kenyans could risk their health and their lives drinking illegal alcohol. Some could die drinking and for others the increase of societal problems was directly linked to  alcohol drinking.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Normally, traditionally there will be nothing wrong with beer drinking, but now illegal and second genera’s products which were and still are sold in Kenya are risky to health. Most of them are never tested if safe for consumption. They are being distilled in unhygienic conditions. Several Deaths and blindness from alcoholic drinks contaminated with methanol or other chemicals were commonly reported by the Kenyan media. Despite Some alcoholic manufacturers claiming legality there has been massive consumer risks, but research shows that the underground world of illegal brew in Kenya is still growing rapidly. In plain sight, the taxi driver, matatu torts, the grocery store dealer, students ,their teachers,husbands,wives and their siblings and whole society  could be seen  staggering - the closer you looked the omnipresence of the drunkenness could be seen everywhere. The Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta saw alcoholism as a problem beyond family quotas and declared illegal brews as business of death.

After several drinking into stupor concerns had been raised here and there and people were losing health and genitalia.The President ordered for the cheap spirits alcoholic drinks crackdown. This followed a meeting with Central Kenya Members of Parliament at State House. Since then, large quantities of alcohol, referred to as “second generation” has been  carelessly disposed in the environment, alcohol bottles destroyed, many chemicals suspected to be methanol poured down our rivers and land and hundreds of people arrested. The fight against alcoholism took an unfortunate turn. Politicians and security officers who were leading rowdy crowds vandalized legitimate businesses and illegal drinking dens as well. It forced President Uhuru who had ordered for the crackdown campaign to warn members of the public and security officers to act with modesty in their way of operation.

Alice Nyambura a bar owner whose business was adversely affected by the campaign attested that for the fight to be won it should be not done the way being championed by the women of Nyeri,Or by Ferdinand Waititu egged on by Jubilee bigwigs. The flames and anger that are directed at legitimate businesses like Keroche Breweries are not the solution. NAKURU East MP David Gikaria was a best example for environment polluter when he was charged before a Nakuru court with disposing waste in undesignated area. Gikaria was accused of disposing liquor bottles and boxes on a public highway on diverse dates between July 11and 16 in Nakuru town. He collected the waste from raided factories and depots during a crackdown on illicit brews and second-generation alcohol. The National Environment Management Authority sued Gikaria for illegal dumping of waste.

As Crates of second generation liquor worth million were being  disposed of, number environmental issues were not taken into consideration .For traders it was a loss of business to those who raided it was a great opportunity for some to buy the beer for a song as it was later on auctioned. The health hazard implications were clearly seen when drinking dens in Thika town were being raided. Traders quickly and swiftly dumped alcoholic drinks in cartons on the Thika-Garissa road where some Kiandutu slum residents collected and sold it at throw-away prices."They were selling it for Sh50 per 250ml bottle. If you bought three you would get one for free. Patients at Thika level five hospital who were rushed after revealing signs of poisoning they later confessed “I took three bottles but after 30 minutes, I felt stomach pains. I was brought to the hospital by my neighbor," David Mbugua said from his hospital bed. This was a clear fault on the crackdown process since disposals were not done considering their effects to the people.

However some members of the public strongly agree it has helped them manage and control their thirst. “I agree that the crackdown has helped” Says Alex Kagwanja an addict. There are people who were ready to quit and needed just that little push. The availability of cheap alcohol made it hard for me to quit if the government maintains the pressure we will see reduction in the number of alcoholics. He adds. Charles Karanja although reveals that Alcohol has existed for millennia. He thinks it is safe to say, it will survive the current siege it is under. It has survived such misguided policies like prohibition; it will survive like a cockroach after a nuclear meltdown. You can reduce the flow, but you will never stop it. I think it is safe to say the industry will outlive the campaign .They are more innovators and Entrepreneurs who were inadequately represented at the just recently  concluded Global entrepreneurship summit held in Nairobi he adds.

Mr. Karanja an addict himself said the sudden change of Alcohol supply shortages affected him with Alcohol withdrawal syndrome. The symptoms that occur when a heavy drinker suddenly stops or significantly reduces their alcohol intake. He experiences a combination of physical and emotional symptoms, from mild anxiety and fatigue to nausea. Some symptoms of AWS are as severe as hallucinations and seizures. At its most extreme, AWS can be life-threatening as it causes tremors anxiety nausea and/or vomiting, headache, increased heart rate, sweating, irritability, confusion, insomnia and nightmares.

MY PREDICTION ABOUT BURUNDI

MY PREDICTION ABOUT BURUNDI

The turn of events in Burundi where Gen Godefroid Niyombare, a former intelligence chief fired three months ago announced that Nkurunziza had been ousted after weeks of deadly civil unrest sparked by the president’s attempt to stand for a third term made many people whom we had shared with this `while away coup` predictions of the tiding regards me as their Legendary Philosopher Thales of miletius.

Thales was famed for very many predictions including the 585 BC eclipse of the sun which  came to happen during the battle between Milesians to neighbors to the east the Lydians and the Medes which added to its impact.It happened during the war and the combatants were so impressed by the fact that they saw the predicted eclipse while fighting that they laid down their weapons and made peace.Thales made lucky but informed guess since for him he didn't understand the solar eclipse since in his explanation he didn't know that the moon had anything to do with it.

One day it is said that a certain woman came to inquire from him and took him outdoors in order that they observe the stars at night.While moving out just within his compound he fell int a ditch and his cry for help drew from the old woman a retort"How can you expect to know all about heavens,Thales,when you can not even see what is just before your feet?".

In Burundi thousands took to the streets on Wednesday to celebrate Niyombare’s announcement but the security services appear to have divided into pro- and anti-Nkurunziza factions. In the early hours of Thursday, the armed forces chief, Gen Prime Niyongabo, said on state radio: “The coup attempt failed, loyal forces are still controlling all strategic points. The national defense force calls on the mutineers to give themselves up.”We are told by the government officials that the security situation is being contained.

A spokesman for the attempted coup, Burundi’s police commissioner, Venon Ndabaneze, dismissed the claim and said Niyombare’s supporters were in control of many key sites, including Bujumbura’s international airport. “We control virtually the entire city. The soldiers who are being deployed are on our side,”He told AFP.

The situation in Burundi is tricky and very difficult to predict but to be safe from criticism of my wit  and knowledge ican attest that we have learned in Africa that coups do not work. We have also learned that fiddling with constitutional arrangements in order to extend presidential terms creates conditions for soldiers to take power. This is a difficult one to solve. I suggest the East African Community,instead of convening the meeting with Nkuruzinza and by nature of how all of them ascended to pwer except  should only do one thing of sending in troops to impose peace and ensure that elections are done peacefully.While doing this they should not include Rwandese troops in the mission considering their proximity and divided interest since.This is just a prediction and when it will be remembered,i will be regarded in high esteem as Thales of miletus was as someone who have came up with pre-plans for peaceful existence

ACTS OF TERROR STUPID COWARDICE

Vengeance without reason

"2nd day of April 2015, I thought perhaps cock did not crow at the proper time,I remained awake as gunshot sounds rained everywhere on that day nothing will never blot out its memories out of my mind, just like a snake with a broken neck, I have promised myself not to look back at the incidence as what I saw was very inhuman and barbarous and I still wonder what goals did these terrorists achieved by merciless killing of innocent people"This was a testimony of Jerusha Moraa a student of Garrisa university Kenya who luckily escaped the terror invasion in their institution which left over 150 students dead when i caught up with her to console her being my neighbor at home.

I did not know what or how I could have help her get out of her trauma since I did not have substantial or no knowledge of counseling psychology. I was perplexed.Instead of acting like the legendary Democratius who seemed to have known virtually everything,or at least he thought to have known all, that one day when he was brought milk , tasted it and deduced that it came from a black she goat who had just produced her first kid.As an honest man I didn't have stuff to built up false inventions and give them plausibility as my friend Democratius did so I resolved to dig back to history and try to convince my friend that those who thought to be the most valiant,history tells us that they turned out to be the most unfortunate as triumphant defeats rivaled their victories and they created permanent enemies.

Have you ever heard of the Nzimba the cannibal group from the South of Africa who were used by the Portuguese during their conquest of the East African coastal towns and cities?They were very strong people who were rarely witnessed sick.In their land they had great abundance of fish and flock and ate them with no artifice other than cooked and roasted.It is also said about them that the first white man to have visited their land and rode a hoarse there,though he had had previous dealings with them on several earlier trips but on foot, was shot dead with arrows.when later they recognized that it was him they had killed ,they really regretted and they had to kill his murderer.They were acting in haste and would regret only after the damage had already been done.

One day while on war against their neighbors ,their captain who had a huge shield approached the enemies fortress where a stone was throne and hit him on the head and wounded him.The captain was made furious that he said"are you blind man?cant you see a shield as big as this that you have to throw a stone straight on my head?"With his furry ordered his men to kill and behead all the enemies they had killed.

after the war every man brought back as his trophy the head of an enemy he had killed and set it up at the entrance of his dwelling.They also brought with them prisoners which they treated so well for a period of time with all hospitality they could think of.later each man who had a prisoner called a great assembly of his acquaintances tied a rope to one of the prisoners arms by the end which he would hold a few steps away,for fear of being hurt then gave his dearest of his friends another arm to hold the same way.They then in the presence of all the assembly,kill him with their swords.this done they would then roast him and eat him in common and sent pieces of meat to their absent neighbors.This was not as people think for nourishment but for them a revenge since they would later release other prisoners to go and tell others what they have seen.

As the story goes we are told that even people of this community some had dissent views from what they thought was their best way to humiliate their enemy.For example when their captain once ordered them to carry the heads of their enemies on a pole.one of the soldiers had afoot on his pole.They asked him"why didn't you bring his head?"He answered,"they took his head away before i got there which might have indicated that he carried his own having been done to, the same things they do to their enemy.

The prisoners who were released instead of fearing their enemies dared them.one of the prisoners after his release composed a song which contained a challenge.He said in one of his verse that substances of his grandfather and his own father had nourished their enemies body and his muscles could not relax before this score was settled.To the last gasp he never stopped braving and defying his enemy by word and look up until one day his all neighbors mobilized themselves in numbers as   and attacked the cannibals so that they were driven away and scattered all over as their neighbors wanted to put them into extinction.To date these people exist scattered in Africa states but does not savuor on  fellow men meat.

Back to what prompted me to give this historical background is the barbarous horror of such acts committed by terror groups like Al-shabab,Isis and other extremist terror led gangs.My promise to them is that they will eventually be defeated.Never as I can attest,has there been so great an understanding in the world as the need for peaceful co-existence hence the birth of the United Nation(UN),terrorist and their activities have no place and whoever is in it is harnessed like a yoked oxen to a heavy task.They are forced to act when they know that they are acting.They will soon come  in-touch with the reality.When we catch up with them they will feel the play of our muscles and joints,as yoked as they seem to be,those that were forced to join the terror groups or did voluntarily will one day feel the weight of our plough and resistance of the soil.

There are types of cowardice that we despise like jumping from fifth floor when a electricity transformer blasts at a campus just because one had been attacked recently.But some have no treacherous base for example the screening of people in every public place.The security express great esteem for fat men and aversion to the lean ones.All the world allows it.Let us not judge by appearance in this fight.The terror issue has reduced us to the out most straits and difficulties.I know we might be ashamed to own such distress.To our good friends lets join hands and effort to effectively combat and scatter away these damn bloodied terrorists.