Kenya has called on the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) to impose a region-wide ban on hazardous pesticides, warning that inconsistent regulations across member states are jeopardising food safety, public health, and agricultural trade.
Speaking during the 9th Joint COMESA Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment in Lusaka, Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe urged the bloc to urgently harmonise chemical safety standards.
Kagwe expressed concern that pesticides banned in some COMESA countries continue to be used in others, undermining sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) safeguards and creating loopholes that unscrupulous traders exploit. He warned that the resulting contamination of produce was eroding public trust in agricultural systems and exposing farmers and consumers to unnecessary health risks.
“The current situation where a pesticide banned in one country continues to be used next door completely undermines our collective SPS efforts. Harmonizing chemical standards is not optional — it is urgent,” Kagwe said.
Kenya maintains that without a unified regulatory approach, efforts to protect public health and ensure food safety will remain ineffective. Kagwe urged COMESA to move beyond discussions and take decisive action, stressing that eliminating hazardous agrochemicals must be treated as a top priority for the 21-member bloc.
In addition to the pesticide ban, Kenya’s proposals included joint development of livestock vaccines, cross-border protocols for certified seed trade, and adoption of digital tools to enhance agricultural planning and resilience. Kagwe emphasised that such reforms could help transform COMESA into a stronger driver of agricultural productivity and economic growth.
“Let this meeting be remembered not for what we discussed, but for what we dared to do,” he concluded.
COMESA, comprising 21 countries including Kenya, Uganda, Egypt, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, is one of Africa’s largest regional economic communities. A harmonised pesticide regulation, Kenya argues, would strengthen regional agricultural trade, protect ecosystems, and safeguard the health of millions across Eastern and Southern Africa.
The push comes amid growing global concerns about the long-term impacts of chemical-intensive farming, with calls for more sustainable agricultural practices gaining momentum across the continent.
