Western Kenya MPs and Senators Threaten to Lead Protests Over Nzoia Sugar Factory Lease
A group of Members of Parliament and Senators from Western Kenya have raised serious concerns over the leasing of the Nzoia Sugar Factory.
The leaders have warned that if the national government does not stop the leasing process, they are ready to take to the streets in protest.
During a press briefing, Butere MP Tindi Mwale voiced strong opposition to the leasing plan, arguing that the entire tendering process lacked transparency.
Mwale stated that local leaders from the region are fully prepared to exhaust every possible legal and public avenue to stop the leasing.
He also revealed that the matter will be taken to court, as the leaders believe the leasing process was not conducted fairly or lawfully.
“We will explore every possible method, whether it’s court action or public demonstrations. We also need clarity on why a court order that had been issued was ignored by the government,” Mwale firmly stated.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna also criticized the leasing deal, describing it as a form of ‘daylight robbery’.
He questioned the legitimacy of the process, noting that even though the tenders were supposedly open to international applicants, only two families from Kenya ended up winning the contracts.
Sifuna said this raised serious concerns about the credibility of the tendering process.
“It’s hard for me to understand how, even with an international tender process, it’s just two families from Kenya that end up being qualified to run a sugar factory. The public deserves to know how these tenders were awarded,” Sifuna argued.
Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah, who is directly involved with the factory as a contractor, added his voice to the growing criticism.
He said he was personally affected and caught off guard by the decision to lease the factory. According to Omtatah, he learned about the change of ownership through his own tractor drivers who work at the factory.
“Everyone was taken by surprise. I am one of the contractors at Nzoia Sugar Factory and I transport sugarcane for them. No one informed me that the factory had changed hands until my tractor drivers notified me.
This shows a serious lack of communication and transparency,” said Omtatah. He further warned that some of the individuals brought in to lease and manage these factories do not have the qualifications or ability to successfully run them, which could further damage the sugar sector.
Nzoia Sugar Factory is one of four sugar mills that the government has decided to lease out as part of efforts to revive the struggling sugar industry.
So far, the government has awarded Nzoia to West Kenya Sugar Company, Chemilil to Kibos Sugar & Allied Industries, Sony Sugar to Busia Sugar Industry Ltd, and Muhoroni to West Valley Sugar Company.
However, concerns have continued to grow across Western Kenya, with various leaders, including governors, voicing dissatisfaction over how the leasing process was handled.
In response, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe spoke in Parliament on Tuesday, May 13, to clarify the government’s position. Kagwe denied accusations that the sugar factories were sold off to private investors and insisted that the leasing process was above board.
“No sugar factory has been sold to anyone. What we have done is leasing, and the entire process was approved by Parliament.
I strongly reject claims that the process was secretive or biased. All the stakeholders were involved in the discussions and decisions,” said CS Kagwe.
His comments came in the wake of growing pressure from Western Kenya leaders who feel that their communities were left out of key decisions affecting major regional assets like the Nzoia Sugar Factory.
Despite Kagwe’s assurance, MPs and Senators from the region insist that they will continue pushing back until the leasing process is fully reviewed and made transparent.
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