A 40,000-tonne shipment of genetically modified corn has been blocked at the Kenyan port of Mombasa after protests by environmentalists.

The cargo came from South Africa and contained four corn varieties, three of which were developed by US multinational Monsanto Co. (MON).

Anne Maina, a spokeswoman for the Kenya Biodiversity Coalition campaign group, said that the Kenyan government had not followed due process by carrying out safety checks on the imported corn. The group also said Kenyan authorities had failed to tell the public of its decision to import the corn.