Regional ABS Capacity-Building Workshop for Eastern and Southern Africa , Addis Ababa October 2nd-6th, 2005

Commercialisation of alkaliphilic bacteria

originating from Kenya

Peter Munyi

Southern Environmental and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (SEAPRI)

International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE)

pmunyi@icipe.org

Name and type of genetic resource

Alkaliphilic Bacterium (Extremophiles)

-micro organisms that thrive under extreme conditions including high Ph and salt concentration and which live in the highly caustic lakes of Kenya’s Rift Valley so called ‘soda’ lakes.

Actors involved

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) (Kenya)

University of Leicester (UK)

Genencor International (USA)

Gist brocades (the Netherlands)

How the genetic resource is used

To manufacture a product, Indiage, that softens the fabric denim giving them the faded look.

To manufacture a product, Puradax, an ingredient in washing powders.

Both products are believed to be enzymes maintained and multiplied through cloning. There is no known tk related to these products

Type/kind of ABS Agreement

None

Agreed benefits in the agreement

None as no agreement exists

However, the understanding is that ex post facto arrangements are under negotiation.

Benefits realised to date

• None, as no agreement exists.

• However, the understanding is that these are under negotiations.

Direct contribution to poverty alleviation if any

None, as no agreement exists

However, the negotiations between the parties are looking into this.

The material is believed to have been collected in uninhabited protected areas but the communities bordering these areas are actively being considered.

Lessons learned to date Lack of clarity in Kenya’s legal framework has

been cited as the cause of this case. Lack of capacity and resources to address the

issue in key Kenyan institutions. Problems in regulating research in the academic

sector. Enforcement questions. Pre and post CBD collections

What changes at the local, national and/or international level would significantly have made a

difference regarding BS and poverty alleviation?

At the National level: Existence of a clear legal framework to

regulate collection/access with accompanying (non)monetary and immediate BS arrangements such as,

(i) having the collector accompanied by a university student attached to the NRA and for the collector to pay allowances to the student

(ii) involvement of the communities where the expedition is in the area of their jurisdiction

At the International level:

Existence of an international framework to regulate ABS, with a particular focus on technical cooperation and user measures, taking into account poverty alleviation.

Questions and/or comments??

Thank you!!