'No Regard for Human Life in Africa': Europe Exports Pesticides Banned at Home to the Continent, Says Kenyan High Court Advocate
'No Regard for Human Life in Africa': Europe Exports Pesticides Banned at Home to the Continent, Says Kenyan High Court Advocate
Speaking on the occasion of International No Pesticide Use Day, Gilbert C. Njoroge condemned Western companies for exporting pesticides to Africa that are banned in their own countries.
"Some of those chemicals are known carcinogens. [...] They’re extremely poisonous, they’ve been banned in their countries of origin, yet the same companies are permitted by the Western jurisdictions in which they reside to export these harmful pesticides and herbicides into Africa. So we’ve seen that there’s no regard for human life in Africa," Njoroge told Sputnik Africa.
He explained that this conduct by Western corporations, combined with the “huge and disproportionate incidence” of severe illnesses among farmers exposed to these chemicals, prompted his firm to sue multinational companies. The goal of the legal action is to push for a ban on the use of harmful and highly hazardous pesticides and herbicides in the Kenyan market.
When asked how Africa can address this issue, Njoroge proposed several key measures:
🟠Ban dangerous pesticides, particularly those already prohibited in their European countries of origin
🟠Develop local, safer alternatives, including biopesticides
🟠Educate farmers about their rights and the health risks linked to highly hazardous pesticides
“And right now farmers are taking a preventative approach in terms of healthcare, so that we protect ourselves, we protect our farmers, we protect our nation, we protect our people from the huge health burden that is present at the moment."
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