Trade Cabinet Secretary Adan Mohamed has maintained that confiscated sugar does not have mercury and copper.
This is despite insistence by the DCI boss George Kinoti that tests showed these elements were present.
“I gave you my interview yesterday and made my points very clear,” the CS said on Thursday.
He spoke in Mombasa during a meeting of ministers in charge of trade from IGAD member states. They discussed a draft regional policy framework on informal cross-border trade and cross-border security governance.
On Wednesday, Mohamed challenged anyone with evidence of the presence of mercury in contraband sugar to present it to the
Kenya Bureau of Standards.
“Tests carried out by Kebs did not find any form of toxic metal as claimed. I, however, call on anyone with contrary information to alert the authorities,” he told the Trade committee during a meeting at acity hotel on amendments to anti-counterfeit laws.
On June 13, Kinoti’s boss, Interior CS Fred Matiang’i said mercury was heavily present in the sugar and accused businessmen of poisoning Kenyans.
On Thursday, Kenya Bureau of Standards supported Mohamed, saying its report – supposedly the same one used by Matiang’i – did not reveal the presence of mercury in the commodity.
Kebs MD Charles Ongwae, who appeared before the National Assembly Committee on Trade, however noted that the sugar only had high contents of copper and lead.
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