Businessman and politician Zedekiah Bundotich commonly referred to as Buzeki was among the members fired from various boards in State-owned sugar millers.
Agriculture CS Peter Munya, in a gazette notice dated August 3, revoked the appointment of Buzeki from the board of Chemelil Sugar Company based in Nyando, Kisumu County.
“It is notified for the general information of the public that the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Cooperatives has revoked the appointment of the members of the board,” one notice read in part.
In a move meant to set the stage for the companies to be leased out, the CS dissolved Nzoia Sugar Mills based in Western, Chemelil and Sony Sugar-based in Migori County along with their company boards with effect from July 16, 2020.
Also booted is former Webuye MP Joash Wamang’oli who served as the chairman of Nzoia Sugar Company, and former Migori MP Owino Likowa of Sony Sugar.
The move by the CS has been welcomed by sugarcane stakeholders in the region led by the Secretary-General of Kenya Sugarcane Growers Association Richard Ogendo.
Following the announcement, Kenya Association of Sugarcane and Allied Products (Kasap) Chair Atyang’ Atiang’ called on the Interior ministry to offer security to the premises to prevent vandalism.
In a bid to revive the sugar sector, the government began the process to lease 5 government-owned Sugar mills to private investors in order to revive the industry.
In July, CS Munya announced amnesty for loans worth Ksh58 billion and tax revenue worth Ksh4 billion owed to KRA by the Sugar millers.
Welcoming the move, governors from Western Kenya commended the government for banning of all brown sugar imports.
"These factories are now attractive to fresh capital investments by the private sector. The banning of the importation has sounded a death knell to cartels which for long have been enemies to the industry," Oparanyah stated.
As part of the revival process, the government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, has already published the sugar sector regulations and is in the process of strengthening the legal framework to anchor sector reforms.
