PCPB CEO Fredrick Muchiri / HANDOUTMPs have put the Pest Control Products Board on the spot over the safety of pesticides used in the country amid growing concerns about food safety and rising diseases.
The lawmakers questioned the board’s assurance that pesticides are safe at a time when researchers and the public are raising the alarm over chemical exposure.
The grilling came as PCPB chief executive officer Fredrick Muchiri appeared before the National Assembly Public Investments Committee to respond to audit queries and growing public debate over pesticide residues in food.
He defended the board, saying its regulatory system does not allow the registration of pesticides that pose serious health risks.
“The Pest Control Products Board process of evaluating pesticides for use in this country does not leave space for authorisation of products that can cause cancer,” Muchiri said.
He said pesticides classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic or reproductive toxicants are not registered for use in Kenya.
“Any product in the process of evaluation that is found to be a CMR — carcinogenic, mutagenic or reproductive toxicant — will never be registered for use in this country,” Muchiri said.
But nominated MP Jackson Kosgei challenged the CEO to provide a more convincing explanation, particularly over claims that some chemicals banned in Europe are still being used in Kenya.
“You need a better explanation of that, because there are several chemicals that have been banned in Europe and are being used in Kenya. Researchers are telling us,” he said.
Kosgei warned the board against becoming defensive instead of addressing public fears.
“Do not resolve into a defensive mechanism as an organisation, but instead understand the fears of the country,” he said.
“It is your people, your brothers, your sisters. It is a nation. We have handed ourselves to you and said, are we safe?”
Kosgei said Parliament was ready to support the board with resources if inadequate capacity was hampering its work.
“If you do not have enough of the things that you require for this functionality, feel free to use Parliament. We can improve your capacity,” he said.
Ndhiwa MP Martin Owino asked the board to undertake deeper research into the long-term effects of pesticides.
Owino, a public health specialist, said the danger could not only be assessed through immediate exposure or whether pesticide residues exceeded maximum limits.
“When the public cries, I will go slow to look further, because pesticides interfere with the natural ecosystem,” he said.
He linked the concerns to the rising cancer burden, arguing that exposure could have cumulative effects.
“Right now, we have a lot of cancers going on. It is not just consuming hyper or overdose, but there is some small accumulating effect,” Owino said.
He urged the board to work with research institutions to establish the extent to which pesticides may contribute to public health problems.
Muchiri, however, rejected claims linking pesticides to cancer, saying Kenya’s regulatory framework was robust.
“Whatever is causing cancer in this country, I will tell you for sure, it is not pesticide,” he said.
Muchiri also disputed claims that Kenya permits pesticides banned in Europe, saying the country follows international conventions governing hazardous chemicals.
He said Kenya is a member of the Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions and implements decisions made under those international frameworks.
Muchiri said differences between Kenyan and European regulations had sometimes been wrongly interpreted to mean Kenya allows banned chemicals.
He defended the board even as Auditor General Nancy Gathungu exposed the expiry of key laboratory reagents at the agency.
According to the report for the financial year ending June 30, 2025, 35 units of laboratory reagents had expired.
“This indicated lapses in inventory control and stock management practices contrary to the law,” the report states.
MPs questioned how the agency ensured the safety of pesticides following the expiry of the reagents.
“Could there be a chance that these chemicals were used?” MP Owino asked.
Muchiri said the products were not used but were handed over to the disposal committee.
Meanwhile, Muchiri defended the safety of food in the markets, dismissing social media claims that consumers were being exposed to dangerous levels of pesticide residues.
He said PCPB had been monitoring pesticide residues at farm-gate level and in major markets.
“The records we have do not support what is floating around on social media. The food we have in our market is safe. We have data to support that,” Muchiri said.
He said an earlier study that found pesticide residues in 78 per cent of samples had been wrongly interpreted.
Muchiri said the presence of residues did not automatically mean food was unsafe, arguing the key issue was whether the residues exceeded acceptable safety limits.
The CEO also addressed the recent deaths of elephants linked to the consumption of chemicals, saying a joint investigation with the Kenya Wildlife Service found no evidence that pesticides used by farmers had caused the deaths.
Kosgei nevertheless urged the board to seek independent verification in sensitive cases.
INSTANT ANALYSIS
MPs are demanding proof, not assurances, from Kenya’s pesticide regulator. While PCPB insists food is safe, concerns over banned chemicals, long-term exposure and expired laboratory reagents expose troubling gaps in public confidence, oversight and independent research. This raises urgent questions about who ultimately guarantees food safety.
