Governor to CS Linturi: Review, implement the sugar taskforce report

By Peter Ochieng

Governors from the sugar growing regions are pushing for implementation of the sugar taskforce report.

The County Chiefs want agriculture Cabinet Secretary (CS) Frankline Mithika Linturi to ensure the report is reviewed and implemented within the shortest time possible.

The six governors; Kenneth Lusaka (Bungoma) Paul Otuoma (Busia), Ochilo Ayacko (Migori), Stephen Sang (Nandi), Fernandes Barasa (Kakamega) and Anyang Nyong'o (Kisumu) said reinventing the wheel on matters sugar was unnecessary since the industry continues to ail.

"We can't start a fresh. Let's look at the task force report, review where necessary and implement it," said Lusaka.

The county bosses said that despite the state previously claiming they had written off the debts by the public millers, records show the debts weren't scrapped off.

Nzoia, Mumias, Chemelil and Sony are some of the public millers in the country.

The County bosses from the sugar belt areas spoke on Wednesday, when they met CS Linturi at his Kilimo house office, in Nairobi.

The sugar taskforce was formed during former President Uhuru Kenyatta's time in office.

It was led by former Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya.

Key recommendations included the re-introduction of the sugar levy, privatization of public sugar mills to enhance their efficiency and the enactment of the sugar act.

The sugar levy was to be charged on consumers so as to raise the revenue needed to assist farmers to develop their sugarcane farming.

The taskforce also proposed strict compliance with the COMESA regulations and outlined a raft of reforms needed to increase the sugar sector’s productivity.