Kenya will host a regional workshop seeking global unity towards addressing the potential threat of bioterrorism.
The meeting taking place next month comes in the backdrop of increasing concern about security of biological materials in learning institutions and health facilities, which can easily land in the hands of sophisticated criminals.
The National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI), which is co- hosting the event with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), said yesterday the two-day meeting will largely look at issues of global peace and security. The meeting will be held in Mombasa on October 17th to 19th, 2022.
“This workshop seeks to amplify ongoing efforts for the universalisation of the biological weapon convention, as countries seek to address issues of global peace,” NACOSTI Director General, Prof. Walter Oyawa highlighted. In the year 2020, outgoing Interior Cabinet Secretary, Dr Fred Matiang’i raised concern that some institutions of higher learning had become major recruitment centres for terrorists.
He said the country was at risk of chemical and biological weapons attack due to lack of laws and curriculum on bio-safety in these institutions.