END SUGAR FARMERS WOES
Written by Obwoge Joseph on June 19, 2023
By Whitney Akunga
President William Ruto has assured residents of Kakamega of his determination to sort the great distress at Mumias Sugar Company.
Speaking at a church service in Kakamega on Sunday, he promised not to watch as the 15000-acre piece of land is taken by individuals, instead of benefiting the people.
“I came here in December and said I’ll sort out Mumias Sugar woes. It was not a joke; it is in our manifesto. We will deal with the Mumias Sugar issue,” the President said.
“The responsible ministry has sat down with governors and members of parliament. We have a plan since we do not want our efforts to go in vain, we have invested close to Ksh. 5 billion in Mumias but it still gets lost. This time round we must get it right,” he added.
The President’s statement comes a month after the High Court found Sarrai group of Uganda and its directors in contempt of court for continuing operations at Mumias sugar after their controversial lease was cancelled last year. The company had been awarded a 20-year-lease to operate the miller but it was later cancelled.
During a visit to Kakamega in December 2022, President Ruto threatened to evict Sarrai Group from Mumias, saying they had not done anything to turn around the sugar miller.
“The government will clear all outstanding debts of the miller and bring in a new investor under an agreement that he will be remitting Ksh100 million monthly to the County Government of Kakamega to improve on standards of education, health and improve the road network,” he said.
He said many investors were willing to work with his administration to take over Mumias sugar, with Julius Mwale’s Tumaz and Tumaz Company being among the top bidders.
