Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka has said the county government will purchase shares on behalf of farmers contracted by Nzoia Sugar Company when the miller is privatised.
Lusaka was speaking during the official launch of the Nzoia Sugar Sacco hall, where he said that he will not allow the firm to be owned by outsiders but by locals who supply the company with sugarcane.
Lusaka revealed plans are under way to map out all farmers to benefit from the sale. The governor noted that the nuclear estate owned by the factory was snatched from the locals and there is no way outsiders claim a stake in through privatisation.
He said that the influx of cheap sugar from Common Market for East and South Africa (COMESA) countries was hurting the local factories and called on the national government to address the issue.
“The cartels involved in illegal sugar importation are leading to the collapse of local factories and this trend is hurting local farmers while benefiting few individuals; let the government deal firmly with the cartel so that the local farmer can benefit,” he said.
(KNA)
