- Ruto said that the government has already developed a clear plan on how to rescue the sugar firms.
- President Ruto received a warm welcome from Nyando residents who had turned out to welcome him.
Image: PCS
President William Ruto has maintained that he will sort out the mess ailing the sugar sector as he started his four-day tour of Luo Nyanza counties.
Speaking in Nyando on Friday, the president insisted that he will decisively deal with the cartels which he said have for decades frustrated sugar farmers in the country.
The president who was addressing Nyando residents in Kisumu County said he has a clear roadmap on how to restore the lost glory of sugarcane farming.
"As I said in Mumias, the cartels, crooks and the corrupt in the sugar sector have three options to go to jail, relocate from Kenya or go to heaven," Ruto said.
Ruto who was accompanied by Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o said the sugar sector will no longer be left at the mercy of barons whom he said have impoverished farmers.
"Sugar is critical and I will sort out the problems in our sugar factories for good," the President said.
He cited the move by his administration to write off the debts owed by sugar factories as the clearest demonstration of his commitment to restore order.
"That is why I have said that to rescue these sugar firms, we shall write off the debts as the government of Kenya," he said.
Ruto said that the government has already developed a clear plan on how to rescue the sugar firms so that farmers can begin enjoying their hard labour.
"Because we have removed the biggest hurdle to the transformation of our sugar mills, we shall sit down and agree with the MPs and your governors on what we are going to do," he said.
President Ruto received a warm welcome from Nyando residents who had turned out to welcome him on his second major tour of Luo Nyanza.
The region is opposition leader Raila Odinga's political heartland.
During the President's visit to Kisumu county on Friday, Nyong'o was among top ODM politicians who joined the President.
All the Luo Nyanza governors had on Thursday promised to welcome the president despite a plan by MPs from the region to snub the tour.
In Kisumu, Ruto will launch the groundbreaking of the Kabonyo Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Center of Excellence in Nyando.
The project is worth Sh1 billion and is aimed at enhancing food security, innovation, and employment in Fisheries and Aquaculture, benefiting thousands and contributing significantly to the Kenyan economy.
He will also commission the Lake Basin Mall, a significant retail and entertainment hub, set to stimulate trade and growth in Kisumu City and the surrounding region.
The President will also launch the Koru-Bible College Road to improve connectivity and facilitate the movement of people and goods within the county.