Authorities in Kenya have banned with immediate effect the importation of pesticides that have been blacklisted abroad as the country moves to align its regulatory policy with global standards on farm chemicals.

In an update on Tuesday, Agriculture CS Mutahi Kagwe said border officials will increase their checks with a view to blocking chemicals that breach standards even as the country continues to cite health and safety concerns.

The CS noted that Kenya will not be turned into a dumping site for products that have been banned elsewhere while equally challenging officials in other East African countries to stop the trade in rejected chemicals from their jurisdictions.

“My pronouncement is clear: a pesticide banned anywhere in the world will be banned in Kenya. Within our region, if a product is banned in any one country, it should be banned in all countries within the EAC, and we are pushing for the same position across Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA),” Kagwe said.

Kagwe's directive comes at a time when the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) reports that the country is experiencing an estimated 95 percent reduction in the entry of unauthorised and smuggled pesticides.

PCPB chief executive Fredrick Muchiri said officers are now deployed at 10 major gazetted border points and ports, compared with 2024 when the regulator had no officers permanently stationed at points of entry. 

Porous Loitoktok border crossing

Increased surveillance, including along porous sections of the Loitoktok border, has helped close routes used by smugglers.

The figures were presented during engagements between the Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, led by CS Kagwe, in Malindi.

Kagwe’s position further builds on a scientific review by PCPB that saw 77 end-use pesticide products withdrawn from the Kenyan market. The review covered 430 products, with 202 restricted on various crops and 151 placed under further review.

Early this year, East Africa Pesticide Network, a lobby comprising of non-profit entities lauded the East Africa region of taking steps to stem the usage of hazardous pesticides citing health concerns.

The lobby bringing together GreenPeace Africa, Route to Food Initiative(RTFI), Food Safety Coalition Uganda, Global Consumer Center, Broederlijk Delen, SEATINI, Tanzania Organic Agricultural Movement and Premium Kenya said tight regulations will help eliminate the effects of Highly Hazardous Products (HHPs) in the region's agricultural ecosystems.

“At the policy level, we recognize that important regulatory steps are already being taken to protect our health and the environment, as well as transboundary control of hazardous products," the entities noted in a statement.

The added: "In June 2025, Kenya announced the withdrawal of 77 per cent of products and restrictions on an additional 202. Earlier this year, Tanzania announced the phase-out of 805 products, a step that demonstrates the growing recognition of pesticide risks. These actions signal growing recognition of the risks posed by pesticides; however, regulatory bans alone are not enough."

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