'We have suffered enough': Mumias Sugar farmers plead for solutions amid court case
A file photo of some of the sugarcane farmers in Nyaporo Village, Mumias East constituency, who have in the past complained about delays in payment for their deliveries to Mumias Sugar Company.
What you need to know:
- Mumias Sugar was placed under receivership in September 2019 and had been in limbo for close to four years before the Sarrai came to the scene.
- Farmers from the region have asked President William Ruto to keep his promises - write off all debts in the sugar industry and identify a new investor to run Mumias Sugar.
The legal battles at Mumias Sugar Company have triggered uncertainty as farmers ponder the next move after the High Court found officials of ganda-based Sarrai Group Ltd in contempt of court.
The ruling came after they carried on with operations at the troubled factory despite being ordered to stop.
In April, Justice Dorah Chepkwony found Sarrai’s senior officials, including its owner Sarbjit Singh Rai, in contempt of court and ordered them to pay Sh100,000 each over failure to cease operations as directed on July 28, 2022.
The judge further directed the officials to appear before the presiding judge of the Commercial Division of the High Court on May 18, to show cause why they should not be sent to jail.
The legal battles have unsettled farmers in Kakamega County, who are groping in the dark over the miller’s fate.
Leaders from the region are calling for the matter to be resolved so that farmers who abandoned cane growing after the troubled miller stopped operations in 2018 cane resume farming.
Mumias Sugar was placed under receivership in September 2019 and had been in limbo for close to four years before the Sarrai came to the scene.
Last week, Bishop Joseph Wandera of the Anglican Church of Kenya, Mumias diocese, and Bumini Parish priest, Fr Josphat Kuchio said the government should prioritise the miller’s revival and end the plight of farmers in the region.
Their calls have been supported by Mumias East MP Peter Salasya and Kakamega Woman Representative Elsie Muhanda.
“We respect the law but it should not override public interest. There should be a balance between the application of the law and public interest. Let the company continue as the matters before court are heard and determined,” said Bishop Wandera.
Fr Kuchio said many families in the Mumias Sugar catchment area have been pushed into poverty due to lack of an alternative source of income.
“If the factory is closed again, many families will suffer. We are concerned about the operations at Mumias Sugar because the miller is the source of livelihood in this region,” he said.
Last Wednesday, rival groups clashed in Mumias town after disagreeing on the progress of the court battles.
Former employees have supported the decision of the court, seeking to stop Sarrai from carrying on with operations at the factory.
The workers accused Sarrai’s management of disregarding the rule of law by continuing to operate despite the court orders. They are demanding that Mumias Sugar pay their salaries and dues amounting to Sh2.3 billion, accrued since 2019.
Mr Patrick Mutimba, the group chairman, wondered why Sarrai was still operating at Mumias.
“The investor is still ferrying cane from the fields for crushing and work is going on in the nucleus farms. What we want to know is ‘is the management of Sarrai Group above the law’?”
On their part, farmers from the region have asked President William Ruto to keep his promises - write off all debts in the sugar industry and identify a new investor to run Mumias Sugar.
On December 8, 2022, President Ruto said the government would identify an investor to revive the miller, after writing off the debts owed by State-run sugar factories.
The Head of State, who was on a tour of Kakamega, said the new investor would be tasked with remitting Sh100 million every month to the county’s residents to ensure they benefited from the miller’s operations.
Mr Raphael Werimo, a farmer's representative, asked the President to come to the rescue of the people of Mumias.
“We have suffered enough. We are not able to send our children to school. Mumias can only be revived by a serious investor who will work with the local communities and farmers. Please hear our cries," he said.
