System hitch delays Mumias’ opening
What you need to know:
- Official says milling to start after ‘teething problems’ are solved.
- Farmers will have to wait longer for plant to resume work after being closed in June.
Milling at Mumias Sugar Company, which was to resume on Tuesday, has been delayed by what the management termed “teething problems”.
In a telephone interview with the Nation, the firm’s manager for corporate communications, Mr Moses Owino, said engineers detected a hitch when cane was being loaded into the plant.
He said the setback occurred during the final trial run. Mr Owino assured that it would take at least two days for the engineers to solve the problem.
“We will start crushing sugarcane when the ‘teething problems’ with the system have been cleared,” he said.
The miller, which was closed in June for maintenance, is expected to improve the crushing capacity to 6,500 tonnes per day.
Operations at the ailing sugar miller have been limping due to malfunctioning of the critical parts among them the boilers, the diffuser and the processing house.
MONOPOLY
The resumption of cane crushing by the firm is expected to revive the fortunes of thousands farmers, whose livelihoods were affected due to the financial woes facing the giant miller.
At the same time, a ward representative and a clergyman in Kakamega have asked MPs to come up with laws that would give milling firms the monopoly of importing sugar to curb perennial deficits.
Mumias ACK Bishop Beneah Salala and Namamali Ward Representative Kelvin Olengo said this would lock out barons who capitalise on shortages to smuggle in cheap sugar.
Speaking to the Nation separately on Wednesday, the leaders said the laws would curb unfair competition and millers would determine when and how much sugar to import.
Bishop Salala said it is wrong for Cord and Jubilee politicians to use the issue of a sugar deal between Kenya and Uganda as a campaign tool.
“The National Assembly should come up with laws that would protect the industry from cartels seeking to make quick profits while farmers languish in poverty,” said Bishop Salala.
He said unless the issue of high cost of production is addressed, the local sugar industry would continue facing problems.
Mr Olengo accused MPs from both Jubilee and the Opposition of engaging in sideshows instead of “taking the bull by the horns”.
