At least four people are reported to have died, with hundreds hospitalized over complications associated with stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhoea after consuming a cereal supplied by the World Food Programme (WFP).

The issue of food poisoning should not be treated as an isolated incident localised to Amudat or Uganda, East Africa and Africa. In 2009, hundreds of tonnes of maize and other assortments of genetically engineered foods were impounded in Mombasa, a lot of powdered milk and other relief items had been supplied as humanitarian aid, in what is today popularly known as the cancer belt of Kisumu.

Attempts to explain away the damaging effects of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Kisumu have taken other twists, most commonly that the people in the cancer belt of Kisumu ate maize contaminated by afflatoxins. Because of the high stakes and power of the actors, the Kisumu incident and that of the GMOs intercepted on Port Mombasa seem to have been swept under the carpet and life allowed to continue.

A few years ago, there was a related incident in Haiti in which a number of people died of the same conditions similar to what has just happened in Amudat.

The CNN blamed the cholera outbreak on the UN soldiers, effectively sweeping the real problem under the carpet in Haiti.

The world of scientific literature is awash with research published in peer-reviewed journals indicating how cattle, pigs, rats, etc., have died soon after feeding on GMOs.

It is imperative that rigorous tests are conducted to rule out the possibility that the super cereal supplied to the people in Amudat could be GMOs because of immediate, mid-term and long-lasting effects.

Giregon Olupot,
Makerere University.

Uganda, Rwanda row affects the poor

In the recent past, Rwanda, due to misunderstanding with her neighbour Uganda in particular, has resorted to closing her borders to goods coming from Uganda and subsequently issuing a caution to all her citizens intending to travel to Uganda.

The rest of East African Community members seem to be looking on helplessly as Rwanda continues to violate and defy many of the pillars on which EAC stands.

Going by the messages that came out in the past, one can’t desist to infer on that popular African saying that goes: “When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers most.”

Traders on either side have started feeling the pinch of losses. The closure is likely to derail some of the efforts of Trade Mark East Africa (TMA). TMA is an aid for trade organization that was established with the agenda of growing prosperity in East Africa through increased trade. TMA has invested a lot of money trying to boost trade among East Africans.

If the impasse was to go on, perhaps there is more at stake. There is a biannual EAC cultural festival, the Jummuiya ya Africa Mashariki Utamadui Festival (JAMAFEST), whose sole aim is to consolidate integration through exhibitions of different arts and cultures of East Africans.

Kenedy Musekura,
0784393922

Soil, not the oil, will create jobs

Nearly two thirds of global arable land is in Africa, yet its agricultural output is the lowest in the world.

Agricultural growth can reduce poverty twice as fast as growth in other sectors. A one per cent increase in productivity of agriculture will give you more than four times reduction in poverty because it creates jobs at the bottom through an agricultural transformation that reaches millions of people.

Africa has 10 per cent of global freshwater, 17 per cent of global forest cover, 25 per cent of the world’s mammal species, 22 per cent of plant species. But these precious resources are under severe threat from degradation often associated with natural resource extraction and climate change.

If oil extraction is done carelessly, without knowing that it’s the soil that is more important, it could affect the continent’s future. So, as all the above fears continue, Africa, with 65% of its workforce directly dependent on agriculture for survival, and dire food insecurity in many places, it is the soil that should be targeted for inclusive growth and development, and not the oil.

Across the continent, demand for food is soaring, especially in rapidly growing cities. The continent has a food import bill of more than $35 billion per year, and imports of food exceed exports by more than 30 per cent.

Existing fossil fuel and mineral reserves will run out, but Africa’s soil and its ecosystems, including rivers and forests, will remain.

Therefore, as the extraction of oil continues, we need climate proofing for we need the natural environment for sustained growth. This climate proofing will enable the ecosystems to enhance agricultural production by providing everything from water and soil resources to pollination and pest control services.

We shall also need shifting of oil revenues to agricultural and ecosystems investment.

Brian Atuheire Batenda,
Kampala.

Sachet waragi is dangerous

I was involved in a study that assessed the health risks associated with consumption of ‘sachet’ waragi in Acoli, Uganda. The study found that alcohol in the market had agents that pose a serious health risk.

My interest in assessing the health risk of consuming alcohol stems from my roots in Bolo parish, Awere sub-country, Pader district from where I lost three siblings to contaminated sachet-packaged alcohol. I have since discovered that my story is not unique in Uganda or in East Africa.

In Kenya, for example, 49 people died after consuming methanol-contaminated alcohol in 2005 and in 2014, and at least 60 people are also known to have died after drinking industrial chemicals in waragi. The World Health Organization says four out of every 100 deaths in Kenya are linked to alcohol. In Tanzania, the country was flooded with deadly alcohol concoctions by a gang in 2016.

Being a chemist, I wanted to corroborate or repudiate claims that ‘sachets’ and Lira-Lira waragi in Acoli contained more than just alcohol. I had to investigate and establish evidence of the composition of these drinks.

In the study, cancer-causing agents arsenic, chromium, lead and obviously ethanol (the intoxicating agent) were found in waragi. In addition, 17 other contaminating metals, but whose cancer-causing potentials are not yet known, were also found in the waragi.

The question then is, what does consuming the waragi studied mean? It means one in 105 consumers for sure will develop cancer over a lifetime due to exposure to arsenic, lead and chromium, and that the risk of developing both cancer and non-cancer-related illnesses is also assured due to exposure to ethanol. In short, there are no safe amounts of waragi.

In addition to the certainty of developing cancer due to ethanol exposure, the statistical risk of developing other health problems from consuming Big 5 Vodka, Bond 7 Whisky, Beckam Gin, Goal Vodka and Kick Gin Pineapple brands is one in every 654 consumers, and from consuming Brigade Gin, Chief Waragi, Royal Vodka, Salongo Gin, Uganda Waragi or V6 Tangawizi Vodka brands is one in 1404.

For those who prefer to drink Lira-Lira waragi, the risk is one in 62 due the excessive amounts of copper consumed. At this time, it is impossible to give precise figures of Ugandans affected by alcohol-related illnesses, but it is safe to say that the problem is pervasive.

We recommend establishing a national alcohol consumption policy and an agency with a laboratory dedicated to monitoring alcohol quality to enforce it.

Dr. Ochan Otim,
ootim@g.ucla.edu

Source: The Observer

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of TradeMark Africa.