Counterfeit sugar impounded at Nairobi's Kawangware

More than 50 bales of counterfeit sugar were Thursday morning impounded from a house in Kawangware, Nairobi County.

The sugar was packed in two and one kilogrammes Mumias Sugar Company packets ready for the market.

According to Mumias Sugar Company’s Chief Security Officer Osborne Amunga, they have been monitoring the area after they were tipped off by members of the public of a certain business man packing counterfeit sugar in his house.

"We acted on a tip-off and around midnight on Wednesday, we witnessed two trucks dropping off what we later learnt was sugar from Brazil at the suspect's homestead.

"With help from Riruta Police Station, we laid ambush at around 4am Thursday morning and managed to apprehend four culprits packing sugar in counterfeit Mumias Sugar packets,” said Mr Amunga.

He added that one of the culprits was a woman in her 20s and the business man was not around at the time of arrest.

SUGAR FROM BRAZIL

Mr Amunga revealed that sugar from Brazil worth about Sh120,000 which is believed to be cheaper than Mumias Sugar was impounded.

Sugar believed to be from Kakira in Uganda, Tanzania and Nzoia Sugar Company was also seized and is being held at the Riruta Police Station awaiting further investigations.

"We understand that counterfeit sugar has penetrated the country and it has become a problem for authorities to impound it.

“We therefore urge these companies to come on board and help in seizing counterfeit products proliferating into the country as they could be harmful to consumers,” he said.

The counterfeit packets, he noted, closely resemble those of Mumias Sugar Company and can easily confuse their customers.

But he pointed out that the fake packets do not have expiry dates.

He advised consumers to be careful while picking Mumias sugar from the shelves.