Kenya’s horticulture farmers have for long lived in fear of their products being rejected by the European market. They have good reason for this, as Kenyan produce in many instances was blocked from accessing the European market. In some cases, the European unio (EU) has warned Kenya that its food and fresh produce may not enter Europe due to high residual levels.

Fresh produce from Kenya has always been on the EU’s quality watch list. The flipside to this story is that most of the chemicals that have made Kenyan flowers, vegetables and fruits poisonous to the extent of being turned back at the borders of any European country are manufactured in Europe.

A new report notes that more than 100 pest control products that are sold in Kenya contain harmful chemicals and have been banned in Europe. A majority of the products manufactured using harmful chemicals or active ingredients are produced by European firms but not allowed to retail in Europe. They are instead meant for export.

“In total, 155 companies have registered 699 products in Kenya. Most of the products originate from Europe. This means Europe and not China, as often argued, is the market leader in terms of pesticide sale,” said the report.

The Route to Food Initiative (RTFI) - a non-governmental organisation commissioned the report – titled Pesticides in Kenya: Why Our Health, Environment and Food Security at Stake is pushing for the withdrawal of the highly toxic pesticides from the market.

“At least 32 percent of the active ingredients in the Kenyan market poses a serious potential impact on human and environmental health and are withdrawn from the European market,” noted the report in part.

“The products registered in Kenya, that are withdrawn from the European market, are mostly sold by European companies (75 products), followed by Chinese companies (55 products) and Indian companies (16 products). This is important and warrants a serious discussion about existing European, Kenyan and international legislation, standards, guidelines, and their gaps.”

The Route to Food report noted that despite European firms flooding Kenya and other countries with toxic products, they are prohibited from selling the same products in their home countries.

The move is sanctioned by EU laws, which ban the use of certain active ingredients in pesticides sold in the EU but okays the use of same banned ingredients in making products that are exported to other markets.