- Pest control industry says pesticide residue report lacks scientific context on food safety.
- Agrochemicals Association of Kenya argues detectable residues do not automatically mean vegetables are unsafe if they remain within Maximum Residue Limits.
- Industry urges reliance on Codex standards, responsible pesticide use and accurate public communication to avoid unnecessary alarm and protect Kenya’s agricultural exports.
Kenya’s pest control products industry has rejected findings from a report alleging that 78 per cent of kales, tomatoes and spinach sampled from Muthurwa, Githurai, Kangemi and Nakuru markets contained detectable pesticide residues, arguing the study omitted the scientific context needed to determine whether the produce is actually unsafe to eat.
Joel Mutai, CEO of the Agrochemicals Association of Kenya (aak-GROW), which represents importers, formulators and manufacturers of pest control products, said the report highlighted the presence of residues without stating whether they exceeded internationally recognised safety limits.
“When you release findings to the public and mention that we have detectable residues without telling us the level of compliance, then you have caused alarm to the general public,” he said.
Mutai said the presence of pesticide residues does not, on its own, mean food poses a health risk. He explained that residues are the small amounts remaining after a pesticide has protected crops and begun to break down naturally, and that this degradation pattern is used by scientists to set safe pre-harvest intervals before crops are picked.
He said the debate should centre on Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs), the highest levels of pesticide residue legally permitted in food when pesticides are used according to good agricultural practice. MRLs, he said, are set through extensive scientific research and function as regulatory benchmarks rather than measures of toxicity.
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Mutai faulted the report for relying mainly on European Union (EU) residue standards without adequately checking compliance against Codex Alimentarius standards, which he said Kenya generally applies to produce sold locally and in many export markets.
“We have what you call EU MRLs that were used mostly in that study, but they did not go further to show compliance with the EU market for those vegetables, which are mainly for local consumption,” he said. “For us as a country, we benchmark on Codex MRLs, and when I looked at the figures, compliance was actually very high.”
He cited studies conducted between 2021 and 2025 by aak-GROW in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) and the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), which he said found 98 per cent compliance with the stricter EU standards.
He attributed this to increased farmer training on responsible pesticide use, adding that residue monitoring in Europe also frequently detects residues while maintaining high compliance with safety standards.
Mutai warned that reports lacking scientific context could damage Kenya’s agricultural exports by creating an impression that locally produced food is unsafe. He urged farmers to use only PCPB-registered pesticides, observe recommended pre-harvest intervals and avoid counterfeit products, which he described as a major food safety threat because they have not undergone scientific evaluation.
He said public discussion on pesticide residues should distinguish between the mere detection of residues and residue levels that exceed established safety limits, adding that consumers deserve information that accurately reflects the safety of the food they eat.
By Bernard Magada
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