Community petitions Ruto to visit Miwani Sugar factory

By Peter Ochieng

President William Samoei Ruto has been urged to visit Miwani Sugar factory in Kisumu County, and chart the way forward for the sugar miller.

The company stopped operations over 20 years ago, leading to wide-spread poverty in the area that was once an active economic hub.

Area residents, both from the Kisumu and Nandi side of the divide are finding it difficult to put food on the table and educate their children, due to the collapse of the sugar miller.

Led by Charles Atiang Atyang, Chairman of the Kenya Association of Sugarcane and Allied Products, and Richard Ochieng Ogendo, Secretary General, Kenya Sugarcane Growers Association, residents on Friday said the Head of State should visit the area and offer a permanent solution, the same way he acted when he visited Mumias Sugar company last year, leading to resumption of operations after years of court battles.

Ogendo said Ruto is fully aware of the Miwani issue, given the fact that he was the agriculture minister in late Mwai Kibaki’s administration, when the matter first came up.

As such, Ogendo said he is the only person who can finally ‘break the camel’s back.’ “We are inviting you, just like you went to Mumias to come down to Miwani, to talk to the people of Miwani to hear the people of Miwani, so that this fellow who has been running around the courts on that day when you come to Miwani, we give you that person and you go with him,” said Ogendo.

“This fellow actually needs to go to jail because these matters are fraudulent,” he added. He called on Kisumu governor Anyang’ Nyong’o to also play a role in having the factory revived.

Atyang said they were shocked by the ministry of agriculture’s decision to exclude Miwani from the list of sugar factories set for leasing on account of ‘ongoing cases.’

The cases, if any, he said are being spearheaded by people who are hell-bent on ensuring that Miwani does not roar back to life.

He urged the president to invoke his now famous ‘Mambo ni matatu (three things)’ slogan, which ‘demands’ that suspects of corruption "Leave the country, stop their acts or are arrested and jailed.”

“Its against this backdrop that we petition you to urgently invoke the ‘Mambo ni Matatu’ slogan in this issue of Miwani land ownership issue based on the material facts held by the community, and the facts held by your office,” said Atyang.

He maintained that the sugar factory sits on public land, adding that all suits claiming ownership of the land have been dismissed by the court. “Kindly assist the community get what’s rightfully theirs and move on with the leasing program as early scheduled,” he added.

Miwani, Sony Sugar, Chemelil Sugar, Muhoroni and Nzoia Sugar were set for leasing in a bid to breathe a new lease of life in the sugar sector.

Miwani was then excluded due to ‘ongoing court cases.’ The two officials said “No Miwani, no leasing,” urging Sony, Chemilil, Muhoroni and Nzoia farmers not to allow leasing without Miwani.