Following the release of 2.7 billion funds from the National Treasury towards the payment of sugarcane farmers, opposition leader Raila Odinga further revealed a new plan in reclaiming the lost glory of the sugarcane industry in Kenya.
This was revealed on Monday, after Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri’s meeting with Raila Odinga in Nairobi.
Mr Odinga said the government has for a long time been pumping billions into the sugarcane industry but the problem of delayed payments to farmers has persisted. He regretted that the sugar industry had been brought down to its knees by corruption and mismanagement.
In a bid to salvage the situation, the opposition leader said private investors will come on board and inject more money and new machines, especially to State-owned sugar companies such as Chemelil, Miwani, Muhoroni, Nzoia and Sony Sugar that are on their deathbed.
He said the injection of private capital in the firms will help rehabilitate and modernise the millers for competitive and sustainable production.
The final details of the privatisation, Mr Odinga said, will be discussed on Monday next week in Kisumu during a major cane stakeholders’ meeting.
“There is a need for a permanent solution and the Monday meeting will address all the issues,” the ODM leader said.