The Director of Uganda Cancer Institute, Dr. Jackson Orem says Uganda should treat Kenya’s caution that maize contains toxins with care but not take it as just mere trade or political matter.
Dr Orem says this is a health issue which should be treated with utmost care since these toxins reported in Ugandan maize are the leading cause of liver cancer.
He says while Kenya has slapped the ban on the importation of maize to save its people from cancer, Ugandans who mainly consume the maize meal commonly known as Posho, face the same threat and need protection.
Dr Orem adds that the maize meal may not be safe if it contains a certain level of aflatoxins but the biggest threat is that high levels of aflatoxins can lead to liver cancer.
Lawmakers yesterday had no kind words for the Kenyan authorities as Parliament convened to discuss the ban on Uganda’s maize by Kenya.
The lawmakers called Kenya a bully in the East African region and called for a tit-for-tat response to the “unnecessary” ban on Ugandan and Tanzanian products.
Busia Municipality MP Geofrey Macho asked the Uganda government, with immediate effect, to ban the products from Kenya because they use more chemicals than Uganda.
