Second International Phytosanitary conference, KEPHIS Headquarters, Karen, Nairobi, Kenya.

Dr. Suresh,L.M. and Francis Mwatuni:  The Government of Kenya, USAID (Feed the Future Program), KEPHIS and COPE have organized the 2nd Phytosanitary Conference from 4th to 8th June 2018, at KEPHIS Headquarters, Nairobi, Kenya. The theme of the conference is “Phytosanitary Systems for Safe Trade and food Security”. The conference provided opportunities to discuss phytosanitary systems used in Pest Surveillance, Import Control and Quarantine Regulations, support to industry, Technologies and Innovation, Food safety issues and Cross-cutting issues.

Welcoming Remarks to the conference was done by;

  • Dr Esther Kimani, Managing Director, KEPHIS
  • Ann Muigai, Director, KEPHIS Board of Directors
  • Tina Dooley – Jones, Mission Director, Kenya and Eastern Africa, USAID
  • Tuituek – MP, member of the Parliamentary committee on Agriculture.

The 2nd Phytosanitary conference was officially opened by H.E. Hon. Jackson Mandago, Governor, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya.

The conference was attended by 110 participants in the first day with delegates from 14 countries in Africa and other relevant national and international institutions were represented in the conference. The African countries represented were Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Djibouti, South Sudan and Eritrea.

Several presentations were delivered during the two days that we attended that were structured in the following thematic areas;

  • Pest Diagnostics in Phytosanitary Systems
  • Pest Surveillance in Phytosanitary Systems
  • Import Control and Quarantine Regulations
  • Export Control in Phytosanitary Systems

CIMMYT was represented in the conference by Dr. L.M. Suresh, the Maize Pathologist- SSA and Francis Mwatuni, The project Manager, USAID MLN Diagnostics and Management.

Dr. Suresh L.M CIMMYT, Kenya gave the presentation entitled “Tackling Maize Lethal Necrosis (MLN), a major epidemic in eastern Africa with better phytosanitary intervention measures., Kenya”) while Francis Mwatuni CIMMYT, Kenya presented on the topic “Appropriate Surveillance and diagnostics tools in Prevention of spread of MLN to Southern Africa”. Both presentations were done on the second day of the conference (5th June 2018) under the thematic themes of Pest Surveillance in Phytosanitary Systems and Import Control and Quarantine Regulations

Further, NPPO’s from Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Burundi and Kenya have visited MLN screening facility to understand the MLN screening program and other activities at Naivasha. Dr. Suresh, L.M. have given brief about the MLN screening facility also highlighted about the hybrids with MLN disease tolerant / resistance to various partners in eastern Africa.

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