In 1991, Kenya demonstrated its support for the work of IPGRI and its predecessor IBPGR by being one of the first five countries to sign the Establishment Agreement that gave the Institute independent status. Close contacts are maintained with Kenya’s national plant genetic resources programme through the IPGRI Regional Office for Sub-Saharan Africa, which was established in Nairobi in 1982. Within Kenya, a large number of institutions are concerned with the conservation and use of plant genetic resources, ranging from the National Genebank of Kenya (GBK), National Museums of Kenya (NMK), Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), and the University of Nairobi to numerous NGOs. Many of these, particularly the GBK, act as IPGRI’s partners in research programmes, and in organizing and running training courses, seminars and workshops at both national and regional levels.

Kenya's National Programme

The national programme is a network of institutions undertaking plant genetic resources work in the country and includes the GBK, KEFRI, NMK, Kenya Wildlife Services, the Forestry Department, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Nairobi University and NGOs. The key institutions have specific roles and responsibilities in line with their mandates and missions. IPGRI plays an important role in increasing awareness of the importance of plant genetic resources and in promoting networking among national institutions in Kenya. The Institute has supported four National Workshops on plant genetic resources. The first, held in 1987, established and institutionalised Kenya’s national plant genetic resources programme, and the second, in 1993, further strengthened the coordination of plant genetic resources activities within the country. The third workshop, in 1997, brought together policy makers from different institutions and government departments and strengthened coordination mechanisms, and the fourth, in 1999, developed draft policy guidelines on access to genetic resources and benefit sharing.

The GBK was established in 1988, with IPGRI’s support. The Genebank now serves as the focal point for all activities on plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. It has medium-and long-term conservation facilities, trained staff and some budgetary support to allow it to carry out the major crop conservation activities.

Collaborative activities

Over the years, IPGRI has helped to develop and strengthen the Kenyan national plant genetic resources programme by providing support, scientific information and training, and encouraging linkages between institutions at both regional and international levels. The following are some examples of activities undertaken in collaboration with IPGRI.

Training and documentation
To date, 56 Kenyans have been trained in various aspects of plant genetic resources conservation and use at levels ranging from diploma to PhD. Some of these scientists now hold key positions in the plant genetic resources community in Kenya and include the previous Officer-in-Charge of the GBK and key members of staff of the genebank.

In collaboration with GBK, the University of Nairobi, the NMK and the Darwin Initiative, five specialized regional training courses on different aspects of plant genetic resources conservation and use have been organized. IPGRI has assisted the University of Nairobi to develop curricula for courses in plant genetic resources at both graduate and post-graduate levels. A training consortium comprising all national Universities and the GBK has recently been developed to facilitate and coordinate plant genetic resources training activities in the country. Documentation hardware and software have been provided to the GBK, which, with IPGRI’s support, organized a regional training course on documentation.

Germplasm collecting, acquisition and regeneration
IPGRI has cosponsored and collaborated with various Kenyan institutions in germplasm collecting and introduction. This has contributed substantially to the present assembly of some 55,000 accessions at the GBK. A two-year project to regenerate and multiply more than 6,000 accessions of forage germplasm has been implemented by the GBK with IPGRI’s assistance. IPGRI participated in a review of the ex situ conservation activities of the NMK focusing on rare and endangered wild species. Recent socioeconomic studies on genetic erosion indicators in rice in the Tana River delta region and in finger millet in western Kenya have received IPGRI support.

Neglected species
NMK, GBK and the University of Nairobi collaborated with IPGRI in a project on the conservation and use of genetic resources of traditional vegetables. IPGRI also assisted with the publication of a NMK Guidebook to the wild food plants of Kenya.

Seed storage equipment, facilities and research
Prior to the establishment of the GBK, IPGRI supported conservation activities in Kenya by funding the rehabilitation of cold rooms and the purchase of equipment for the Plant Quarantine Service. Conservation equipment including deep freezers has been supplied to the University of Nairobi and the regional research stations at Njoro, Kitale and Kakamega. Research programmes in collaboration with the GBK on the sun drying of crop seeds and the determination of optional storage conditions for Clitoria ternetea have also receive assistance from IPGRI.

Germplasm characterization
The world base collection of sesame germplasm, comprising 2,200 accessions, has been multiplied and characterized in a collaborative venture with several Kenyan institutions. A duplicate is stored in the GBK. The GBK has multiplied and characterized 500 accessions of millet and sorghum from ICRISAT and 284 accessions of maize and sorghum from Somalia.

IPGRI collaborated with the Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology of the NMK in developing project proposals for the molecular characterization of crop germplasm. The Director of the Centre took part in the IPGRI-sponsored development of a technical bulletin on the use of molecular markers in plant genetic resources conservation.

Collaboration with NGOs
IPGRI enjoys close links with several NGOs concerned with the conservation and use of plant genetic resources, in particular in the fields of community-based conservation, documentation of indigenous knowledge and policy development. Among these are the Kenya Environment Non-Governmental Organization (KENGO), the African Centre for Technologies Studies (ACTS) and the Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG). The Centre for Indigenous Knowledge Systems and By-Products (CIKSAP), in collaboration with NGOs in other African sub-regions and with support from IPGRI, has developed a directory of African NGOs active in the field of plant genetic resources.

Regional and international collaboration
The Kenyan national programme actively participates in the FAO Global System on Plant Genetic Resources and has been given responsibility for holding a duplicate of the world base collection of sesame (as above) and of African mulberry. Kenya is also a member of the FAO Commission on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, and is a signatory to the FAO Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Kenya has signed and ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity. The country hosted the Sub-Regional Meeting for Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands during the preparatory process for the Fourth FAO International Technical Conference on Plant Genetic Resources.

As an active member of the African Coffee Research Network, Kenya’s Coffee Research Foundation is involved in an IPGRI initiative to develop a plan of action for coffee genetic resources conservation and use in Africa. The Kenya national programme is participating in the UK Royal Botanical Garden’s Millennium Seed Bank Project. A working group comprising key plant genetic resources stakeholders is charged with the responsibility of implementing the project, with IPGRI support. The GBK is a member of the Regional Steering Committee of the Eastern African Plant Genetic Resources Network (EAPGREN) and coordinates the country’s participation in network activities. It also coordinated inputs of other national institutions in the implementation of an indigenous vegetables project. The GBK and the Biodiversity Institute of Ethiopia have led discussions, with IPGRI’s support, to increase bilateral collaboration on plant genetic resources conservation. With IPGRI’s assistance, the GBK supports less advanced national programmes in training and germplasm duplication. In addition, IPGRI has facilitated study visits to the Kenya national programme by scientists from Zambia and South Africa.

Kenya is a member of the Banana Research Network for Eastern and Southern Africa (BARNESA), which is coordinated by the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain (INIBAP), a programme of IPGRI.The two Future Harvest centres with an interest in Musa research and development (IITA and IPGRI, through its INIBAP programme) decided in 2000 to integrate their Musa-related activities in Africa. In 1999, Kenya hosted the annual steering committee meeting of BARNESA and a logframe training course. A Select Committee of BARNESA also met in Kenya in 2001 to discuss the realignment of BARNESA’s strategic plan. Kenya is currently participating in two INIBAP-run projects concerning the improvement of banana and plantain. KARI is a collaborator in a project funded by the UK Department for International Development to explore integrated pest management options, and Kenya is one of the three countries hosting a field study site as part of the project. KARI is also one of the partner institutions gathering baseline information on banana and plantain production through support from the Rockefeller Foundation.

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