91茄子

Prof. Francis Mulaa is an award-winning scientist and associate professor at the 91茄子. Prof. Mulaa is also a valued member of the African Union High Panel on Pan African University Academic Senior Staff Recruitment. At the University, Mulaa is the Executive Dean (Ag) .

In this interview, Mulaa discusses technology and the interface of its use in human endeavors.

In simple terms what is biotechnology?

Biotechnology is a misunderstood term and its definition听 so much abused and thus听 the bad perceptions existing听 about听 biotechnology. 听In simple man鈥檚 language biotechnology 听can be defined as听 the processes that arise from using biology as a production tool. The term biology itself is wide, it听 is a reference to听 plants, animals and microorganisms, therefore, anything produced using all these, and if it results into a process then ,听 can be called biotechnological or biotechnology.

To further explain biotechnology, we can听 use the agricultural realm, where the processes in use, are based on plant and animal microorganisms as the production platform. As part of these processes, there are also microorganisms which can be manipulated mostly 听because they grow faster and they have smaller genomes and therefore have the widest range of application so far.

All these processes are basically, the sciences and the engineering that result in what we call biotechnology. The biotechnology that most people discuss听 is agriculture because people can see a plant or an animal, however, there are other processes that are not obviously visible , these especially are those听 where听 you use microorganisms. Inevitably听 the processes that use 听microorganisms 听are听 the most used,听 because they are also the easiest and 听it is in this area of microorganism processes听 听that 听we should place a lot of effort.

鈥淢y area of interest and strength is in industrial and environmental biotechnology .This does not听 mean that other听 biotechnologies do not exist they are equally prominent鈥�. In Kenya, the biotechnology that is most discussed听 is the genetically modified organisms (GMO). Although this biotechnology is discussed widely, it is the smallest of all the biotechnologies and the one we do not have the greatest strength in, albeit politically it is the loudest. It is important to note that听 industrial, environmental and agriculture technologies hold the greatest promise for the economy. 听For example, in agriculture, microorganisms or genes can be put on the plant, not only as protection but also to produce different things i.e., genetically modified organisms (GMO). The same microorganisms can be formulated into a spray that uses any chemical or you can use biological or what are known as听 bio pesticides. The biggest听 biotechnology industry 听currently existing in the country is for crop protection.

In any 听area where we used to use chemicals, biochemicals or biotechnology can now be used and indeed, their use in the chemical industry is slowly being supplemented or phased 听out in favor of biotechnological applications because these preserve the environment, mediate climate change, are less polluting and are biologically degradable.

What is the current state of biotechnology in Kenya?

The current status of biotechnology in Kenya is still in its infancy. 听While it is 听largely at the science stage, it is rather 听poorly practiced and part of the poor practice, has 听to do with our education system. It is听 clear that听 the education system is poorly designed 听and unresponsive听 to technology. The 91茄子, in response to听 the above, has added the word technology onto the title of the old Faculty of Science. The addition听 to the reviewed Faculty of Science and Technology is important for ascertaining that going upward, we don鈥檛 just discuss the science but also the processes that will arise from that science; technology refers to a process, and 听if there is no process then there is no technology.

What is technology?

Science and engineering often 听come together to produce a product. The process that produces the product听 is what is known as technology. If the process is biological then it is known as听 a biotechnology. The simplest biotechnology that people know is yogurt. The yogurt production process utilizes a听 microorganism whose science is known because while it is neither听 dangerous nor poisonous, 听it produces 听a different type of sour milk. The production process also requires equipment to control the acidity, alkalinity, the quantity of the microorganism, packaging and sale of the yogurt. This whole process is what makes yogurt and that is a biotechnology. The same is the same for Mursik. 听Mursik is a popular drink among the Kalenjin speaking people, but the truth is, we have not been able to develop this drink, into an industrial product , the same way we have developed yogurt . the reason is that we have not been able to put together the engineering and the science processes of mursik 听听to make a mursik product that can be manufactured . if we did put in the engineering and science processes, we would have a听 听mursik biotechnology.

There are many areas of biotechnology that we can exploit, some of them however are hindered by Government legislation or lack of Government legislation. The sugarcane industry in Brazil for instance, does not depend on sugar (that is why their sugar is cheap) rather, sugar is a byproduct, 听听they depend on the molasses and bagasse which is 听more than 99 percent of the sugarcane. They use biotechnology, microorganisms and enzymes to digest the bagasse and the molasses into alcohol for the energy industry, which is the biggest industry in the world.

Here in Kenya, it is the opposite we depend on the sugar to finance the sugarcane industry then we throw away and burn the bagasse and molasses. This is throwing away wealth. What is needed is a policy to make sure that bagasse and molasses ,are the main products that 听the sugarcane industry is concentrating on. Interestingly, we may need to support, rather than kill the chang鈥檃a industry because 听听if properly听 manufactured and听 recognized legally, Changaa maybe a major product. The government has been convinced that chang鈥檃a is illegal, but perhaps it is time听 that we studied the听 听chang鈥檃a industry which basically is a whiskey industry, 听and transformed 听that technology to sugarcane, maize and wheat.听 This is what will make these industries grow. It will make ugali 听flour cheaper because instead of concentrating on maize seeds which is less than 1 percent of the maize cob, we concentrate on the main maize stalk so that the maize is a waste product. This .this is what all other countries have done but here in Kenya we burn the maize stalk and the maize cob hoping to get profit from the maize. This is a wrong strategy and wrong economy. The only way you can profit from cereals production is through biotechnology. The technology exists with our parents, grandparents but it has not been听 accepted into policy and thus is听 illegal to practice.

Do we have favorable policies for the use of biotechnology in Kenya?

No. the policies in use 听destroyed the maize,听 sugarcane and wheat sector and until all these are addressed, we cannot break even. But the technology existed ; our parents have stuck with it and that is why the government cannot kill it.

The second one is vaccines which is also a biotechnology. We are importing vaccines whether DNA or protein. This technology has been there 听and the only attempt we have made in that direction is through The Kenya Veterinary Vaccines Production Institute (KEVEVAPI). KEVEVAPI 听cannot cope with the demand., given that it is the only industry of its kind in East and Central Africa and it only services a section of the livestock industry.

Without vaccination, the chicken and the livestock will be dead. Interestingly, people do use 听crude methods of vaccination , including听 taking a dead chicken, isolating the intestines, heat it and then taking the pus and injecting 听the other chickens. This听 vaccination sems to work albeit it鈥檚 an听 informal vaccination which is widely practiced but, in the process, because it is so crude there is the possibility of contaminating the other chickens听 and some die. Instead of the government agencies, facilitating these initiatives, as crude as they are, they resort听 to enacting legislation听 on the handling of these 听microorganisms, and听 a lot of restrictions听 based on biosafety, thus rendering听听 people鈥檚 initiatives a crime. This kind of legislation then cannot help the sector.

What the government needs to do is to come up with standards and procedures, train people who can 听vaccinate livestock in communities, 听license them and create听 听a fund which can make these people comply with the regulation and standards 听leading to the听 evolvement of an industry. Later on , we can go the genetic or molecular biology way; using DNA or RNA. This will take a long time, it requires science, technology and engineering but in the meantime, we can use the traditional ways which the villagers are using and help them use the whole microorganism until the country is ready or the scientists are able and ready to take up the process.

The students we train are not able 听to accept that the villagers have adapted some home technologies, nor can they accept that what the villagers do can be safe. 鈥淚t has been implanted in the students听 minds that what the villagers are doing is dangerous, however, if the villagers have not died, if their livestock has not died, would it not be better听 to use science to听 help villagers improve听 on technologies as opposed to听 condemning them through legislation.鈥�

Legislation should help to improve not to condemn but听 鈥� our enemies鈥� 听are financing 听the legislation against village appropriation of technology because they know that 听once you condemn the appropriation, then you can have a field day controlling the economy听 in the sugar and cereals and biology industry. We should not allow that to happen we should take charge of our economy both though legislation, financing,听 education and training.

What should be done to enhance safety in the use of biotechnology?

Safety cannot be carried out 听outside practice. You can only enhance 听safety if you know how dangerous 听the process can be. 听First there must be practice let the safety be built on and around practice. In chemical safety; there must be chemicals, in biological safety; there must be biology otherwise we might run the danger of putting bottlenecks ,the way they have done in the other industries. If we take the case of legislation, we can听 see how making legislation the first step in the development of the chang鈥檃a industry 听has actually stifled听 that industry because we fail to understand that听听 changaa is actually a whiskey, and in the same way that in the west, whiskey is brewed in homes, thus even the changaa听 that we brew in our homes should not 听be condemned. What happens in the west is that whiskey 听home brewing is听 provided for in legislation including 听safety measures and protections听 for the brewer and consumer. In the Kenyan case, we make sure that the home brewer and consumer are harassed through听 policemen, thus only spoiling the names and reputations of the brewers and consumers. In this way we tend be听 detracted from generating resources , and to police a sector that can be self-sufficient.

In what areas can Kenya apply biotechnology and reap optimal benefits for development?

Biotechnology can be applied to everything and everywhere, in Kenya, and reap optimal benefits for development. It is true that where you have use of chemicals you will have applications. The one area where there is the highest value from use of biotechnology is in the pharmaceutical industry because all antibiotics are biotechnological, they are made from bacterial and fungi.

Another area that we can gain from is in food technology . This area though is not so well 听developed, given that agriculture is the mainstay of our economy. However, in the 听last five 听years we have experienced a 听growth in the crop protection area , such that we now have local companies (though they have been bought by multinationals) producing crop protection and post-harvest solutions using biotech. This is an area that will grow exponentially in the next 10 years, and certainly is envisaged that 鈥� the growth will grow through the roof鈥�. It is an area that the country can invest in, it is not expensive but we will need听 legislation that will facilitate rather than 听stifle. The law on biosafety and biosecurity for instance, needs to be looked at to be facilitative because there is danger that in the same way they have killed the energy sector; they will do the same on fledging but promising听 industry sector such as the changaa one,by听 putting in place the wrong legislation. Wrong legislation can certainly lead to听 killing our industries and leaving the field wide for听 our 听opponents and competitors to 听take over the biology sector in the sector in our country.

Examples of biotechnologies that we need to invest in include: tissue culture which can be used to generate all planting materials, disease free materials such that instead of using seed we can use tissue culture matter. We do need to commercialize the听 tissue culture because听 听right now we are only听 developing it at 听laboratory scale. Tissue culture is a skill that every student in biology needs to be trained in and it can never be exhausted.

Other areas we can invest in that are biotechnological are fisheries,听 crop protection solutions pharmaceutical industry, food science and technology, household goods and services. Most of the current post harvest solutions are biotechnological and听 there is huge scope for development of this area, but we have barely even听 scratched the surface. We need to invest in al these areas, because 听there is no limit to what biotechnology can do. However, our financial 听sector needs to be persuaded to invest in the biotechnology sector, and legislation must be enacted to favorable enable people invest in the sector , and the concomitant听 engineering to support the biotechnology must also be encouraged.

It is encouraging that in 2021, we launched the East African Bio Economy Strategy. All the investment especially international investment, will 听be focused on biotechnology or biosciences development for the next ten years. It is going to be the fastest growing sector with a lot of opportunities.

On its part, the 91茄子鈥檚 Faculty of Science and Technology is developing and mainstreaming a pharmaceutical biosciences program which will bring together chemistry, biological sciences, health sciences and engineering to develop antibiotics and also develop crop protections solutions. All the technologies are regulated and this means that the social sciences must be brought on听 board because of ethical reasons and standards emanating from dealing with听 human beings. Biotechnology requires team work, and hither to, where science programs did not encourage team work, now that technology is an integral part of the faculty, then the faculty will comply, by developing teams with social scientists included.

Currently, the field of science is separate from that of engineering and this perhaps explains low uptake of the concept of technology. Going forward, the two fields must听come together and because this might not happen voluntarily, the government has to push through incentives and a 鈥榖ig stick鈥� based on the understanding that science without engineering cannot develop any technology.