The National Biosafety Authority of Kenya published in the Kenya Gazette issued by the Authority of the Republic of Kenya on the 8-th September 2017 under Gazzete Notice 8846 the list of approved GMO applications for the period 2016-2017. The list includes the approval for National Performance Trials targeting the release of Bt cotton and varieties based on it into the environment of Kenya. The applicant for this project is the Monsanto company (MON 15985 event). Another approved application is related to a research project involving the testing of several cassava genes for natural resistance towards cassava brown streak virus (CBSV) following virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) under contained conditions. The applicant in this case is the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). ILRI also applied for laboratory and greenhouse trials of modified sweet potato for weevil resistance through RNAi. The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) applied for confined field trial of transgenic bananas including preferred by local farmers varieties for resistance to Banana Xanthomonas Wilt (BXW) disease.
Sources: Crop Biotech Update, Kenya Gazette
