Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has called for a global review of standards governing agricultural chemicals, warning against what he described as double standards that allow pesticides banned in some countries to be sold in others.
Speaking during the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) General Assembly in Nairobi on Monday, June 8, Kagwe urged governments, regulators, manufacturers and international organisations to place farmers’ health at the centre of agricultural policies and investment decisions.
“The world cannot continue operating under a double standard when it comes to agricultural pesticides,” Kagwe said.
He argued that chemicals found to pose serious risks to human health or the environment in one country should not be permitted for use elsewhere.
“If a pesticide is considered unsafe for use in one country because it poses unacceptable risks to human health or the environment, it should not find a marketplace anywhere else in the world,” he said.
Kagwe stressed that the value of farmers’ lives should be equal regardless of where they live, noting that consumers in developing countries deserve the same level of protection as those in wealthier nations.
“The life of a farmer anywhere in the world is not worth less than the life of a farmer anywhere else in the world. The health of consumers in developing countries matters just as much as the health of consumers anywhere in the world,” he said.
The CS called for a coordinated international effort to harmonise regulations on hazardous agricultural chemicals and gradually phase out substances proven to be harmful to people and ecosystems.
“I therefore call for a serious global conversation on harmonising the standards governing hazardous agricultural chemicals and progressively eliminating substances proven to endanger human health and ecosystems,” Kagwe said.
He also raised concern over the growing problem of counterfeit farm inputs and the illegal trade in agricultural chemicals, saying the practice threatens public safety, farmer livelihoods and export markets.
“Farmers, regulators, traders and manufacturers must work together to combat the illegal trafficking, counterfeiting and misuse of agricultural inputs,” he said.
According to Kagwe, unsafe chemicals entering markets through informal channels undermine public confidence and expose farming communities to unnecessary risks.
“Unsafe chemicals entering our markets through informal channels undermine public confidence, threaten export markets and expose farming communities to unnecessary risks,” he added.
The Cabinet Secretary further linked food security and public health to the well-being of farmers, arguing that protecting agricultural workers must remain a global priority.
“Food security begins at the farmer. Consumer confidence begins at the farmer. Public health begins at the farmer, and therefore protecting farmers must begin with protecting their health,” he said.
The 2026 WFO General Assembly is being held at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi from June 8 to 11 under the theme “Future Fields: Investing in Farmers’ Organisations and Empowering Communities for Sustainable Agriculture.”
The summit, hosted in partnership with the Kenya National Farmers’ Federation (KENAFF), has brought together more than 1,000 farmer leaders, policymakers, researchers and investors from over 60 countries to discuss the future of agriculture, food security and sustainable farming.
