President William Samoe Ruto has finally taken action to those involved in condemned sugar scandal after exposed.
According to a press release by state House spokesperson, this comes after the head of state was briefed on the grievous accusations of irregular and criminal release of condemned sugar that had been earmarked for conversion into industrial ethanol.
The sugar consignment, according to reports comprising of 20,000 bags (each 50kgs), had been reportedly imported into the country in the year 2018 and condemned by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) for want of expiry date specification.
KEBS condemned the consignment as unfit for human consumption and directed that the consignment be reshipped and destroyed at the owner’s cost.
In discharge of its statutory mandate the KEBS National Standards Council is said to have approved destruction through conversion of the
consignment for industrial ethanol use.
The industrial ethanol conversion was to be implemented under the joint supervision of KEBS and the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), within a multi-agency framework.
The condition precedent to the conversion were; involvement of all the concerned regulatory agencies; sourcing a distiller through an open and competitive tendering process; and securing the payment of applicable taxes and statutory fees.
It has been established that the consignment was irregularly diverted and unprocedurally released.
Further, the conditions relating to open and competitive enlisting of the distiller were breached and the applicable taxes were not paid.
In the recognition of the unique mandate of the agencies as vanguards of public health and safety, it is manifest that some officers in the
relevant agencies abdicated their responsibilities, at the risk of public harm.
As a result, the head of state says the Cabinet Secretaries for National Treasury and Economic Planning, and Investments, Trade and Industry, have sanctioned administrative action to suspend the following officers pending investigations:
Kenya Bureau of Standards Lt. Col (Rtd).
Bernard Njiraini, the Managing Director Dr. Geoffrey Muriira, Director Quality Assurance and Inspection Hilda Keror, Manager Inspection, Mombasa Port Office Liston Lagat, Assistant Manager, ICDN Nairobi Rono Birgen Chief Manager, ICDN Nairobi Stephen Owuor, Principal Officer Peter Olima Joseph- Inspector, Mombasa,
Kenya Revenue Authority.
Joseph Kaguru
Mwanja Masinde
Stephen Muiruri
Moses Okoth
Doris Mutembei
Chacha Hondo
Carol Nyagechi
Derick Kago.
National Police Service.
George Mithamo
Joel Kirui.
Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
Bernard Ngumbi
Raphael Mwaka.
Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA)
Oscar Kai.
J.Patrick Magut
H. Stephen Cheruiyot (Anti-Counterfeit Agency),
Joseph Maita Mweni (Port Health),
Isacko Bonai (NEMA),
Daniel Ngugi (KEPHIS),
Willy Koskei (EACC),
K. Edwin Ruto (KPA),
The report further says the fidelity with the principles of governance, all public officers are called upon to uphold their civic duty at all times in the delivery of public good.
“In taking responsibility, we raise the bar on the high standards of service that we must all hold ourselves to.”
“In so doing, we ensure that the ethos of honesty, integrity and accountability are entrenched in every aspect of our work and national life.”
