Plans to revive the Mumias Sugar Company have once again faced a new challenge after Members of the County Assembly (MCA) drawn from the region planned protests.
The MCAs drawn from Mumias East, Mumias West, and Matungu constituencies had issued a 24-hour ultimatum for the West Kenya Sugar Company to vacate Mumias Sugar Factory premises or they plan a major demonstration to evict them.
"We were giving West Kenya 24 hours to vacate Mumias Company failure, to which we will organize a demonstration and evacuate them," Ali Okomba, one of the MCAs had warned.
The Irate MCAs in the company of residents and sugarcane farmers flooded the roads with placards engraved with messages against West Kenya Sugar owners.
According to the MCAs, the engagement of West Kenya Sugar Company in running the Mumias distillery and core generational plants is intended to sabotage the revival of the Mumias factory.
The MCAs argued that a competitor cannot be running the company's cogen and ethanol plants. They claim that West Kenya Sugar Company cannot continue running the plants because they don't have the raw materials needed by the plants.
"Raw materials for ethanol and Cogen are sugar by-products. Why do they allow a company that doesn't have raw materials to come and operate in a factory that needs sugar products?" Boniface Osange, Khalaba MCA, argued.
The MCAs have vowed to mobilise sugarcane farmers to stop facilitating sugarcane to the miller.
"They have 24 hours to vacate the premises, or else our farmers will stop supplying sugarcane to the factory. We shall also lead the demonstrations to take actions by our hands to evict them, "Eddy Ombwaka, Etenje MCA, emphasised.
The MCAs have revealed that they want to see the factory revived so that sugarcane farmers don't face losses.
This hitch barely comes a fortnight after President William Ruto issued a Ksh150 million bonus for sugar farmers who have supplied cane to Kakamega’s Mumias Sugar Factory, the first such payment in the sector.
Speaking during the launch of the bonus on January 20, Ruto pointed out that the bonus was part of the many reforms to revive the company.
The major factor that contributed to the collapse of the once iconic Mumias Sugar Company was the lack of proper corporate governance mechanisms, majorly improper ownership, among others.
