Pesticides, banned for use in the European Union due to their risks to health and the environment, continue to be sold by European and other international companies in Kenya, Human Rights Watch has concluded. It advises that Kenyan authorities should ban all imports of highly hazardous pesticides and their active ingredients, phase out their use within the country, and invest in safer and more sustainable methods.
In 2020, highly hazardous pesticides accounted for over 75 percent of the total pesticide volume in Kenya and nearly half were substances already banned in the EU due to their risks to health and the environment. Human Rights Watch called on the Kenyan government to urgently put in place regulations on highly hazardous pesticides, prioritizing a list of 40 ingredients identified due to their health and environmental risks and prevalence of use.
