Sugarcane farmers and Western Kenya leaders have criticised the formation of a parallel task force on the sugar sector revival, terming the move as of a wider scheme by cartels to frustrate efforts to revive the industry.
Fifty farmers, including representatives of sugar factories on Monday formed a parallel task force calling itself National Alliance of Sugarcane Farmers Organisation to look into issues affecting the sector.
They dismissed the task force ordered formed last year by President Uhuru Kenyatta as not being representative.
The government task force is chaired by Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuri and Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya. It has however suspended sittings until farmers are paid their Sh2.6bn arrears as directed by the President.
The President has indicated that farmers will be paid once Parliament approves the supplementary budget.
The Kenya National Federation of Sugarcane Farmers National chairman Ibrahim Juma yesterday said the parallel team chaired by Soul Busolo was a creation of some private sugar millers that have been behind the confusion that reigns in the sector.
“All farmers are fully behind the task forced ordered by the President and we’ve made our presentation to the task force. We cannot continue like this. We want regulations to be put in place to end this confusion and restore sanity in the sector,” Juma said.
The farmers want the return of the Sugar Development Levy (SDL), farmers to be paid within seven days of delivery of their cane to millers and also want farmers to earn from the bye-products of their cane such as molasses and ethanol.
“Busolo was MP for two terms, he chaired then powerful Kenya Sugar Board (KSB) for two terms and recently as Agriculture Food and Fisheries Authority (AFFA) Director General. What is it that he wants to do for the farmers that he failed to do while in the government?” he asked.
Navakholo MP Emmanuel Wangwe said that the Busolo led task force was a waste of time because it lacks mandate to present any report to the President on revival of the sugar sector.
“There can never be two task forces dealing with the same issue. A task force is initiated and gazetted by the cabinet secretary or the President himself. There is nothing like a public task force. This one is only out to create confusion,” he said.
Wangwe said that the Busolo led group should instead present their views to the Kiunjuri led task force since it’s the only one with the mandate to prepare a report on the revival of the sugar industry.
Juma said Busolo should stop being used by millers opposed to sanity to derail government efforts.
He said that Busolo failed to streamline the sugar sector when he was in government and had nothing he could offer farmers outside government.