Scientist and environmentalist PM Mokaya has petitioned the African Union to ban the use of toxic chemicals in agriculture, arguing that profit-driven farming is endangering human health, soil fertility and the continent’s food security.
Mokaya cited highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) that are still used across Africa despite being banned or restricted in the EU and other regions. These include organophosphates like chlorpyrifos and profenofos, carbamates such as carbofuran, and neonicotinoids like imidacloprid. He also flagged paraquat and glyphosate-based herbicides, which are linked to farmer poisonings and groundwater contamination. Many of these chemicals are imported cheaply and marketed to smallholder farmers as “high-yield solutions.”
The petition states that acute exposure among farm workers causes headaches, nausea, respiratory distress and, in severe cases, death. Chronic exposure is tied to cancers, endocrine disruption, neurological disorders and reproductive harm. Children in farming communities face higher risks through spray drift and residues on food. Mokaya referenced hospital data from Kisii, Nakuru and Murang’a showing a rise in pesticide-related admissions during planting seasons.
According to the document, toxic chemicals kill pollinators like bees, reducing crop yields of fruits and vegetables. They also destroy soil microbes that maintain natural fertility, forcing farmers into a cycle of higher chemical use each season. Runoff into Lake Victoria, the Tana River and other water bodies has led to fish kills and loss of aquatic biodiversity. Mokaya warned that degraded soils cannot support climate-resilient agriculture.
Mokaya argued that agrochemical companies prioritise profits over safety by dumping products banned elsewhere into African markets. He noted that lax regulation, weak labelling in local languages and lack of protective gear leave farmers exposed. The petition claims that the long-term cost of treating cancer, restoring soil and importing food will far outweigh short-term yield gains.
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The scientist appealed to news reporters and other news dissemination agents to take a keen interest and report on these matters without distorting even an iota, if the human populace is to be salvaged from the paradox of blind agrochemical practices in Africa.
By Enock Okong’o
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