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Western Kenya provincial administration has stepped in to contain the sugarcane poaching menace that has seen millers point accusing fingers at rivals
Matters can only be made bitter by the delay in payment of deliveries which leaves poor farmers with little choice but to sell to one willing to cough up cash upfront.
A contingent of Administration Policemen has replaced their regular counterparts in the Nzoia sugar-belt to guard against cane poaching, that has led to loss of Sh35 million income to Nzoia Sugar Company over the last one year.
Has lost confidence
Western PC Samuel Kilele, posted the APs after the firm’s management said it had lost confidence in senior officers from the regular police force.
It claimed that diversion of cane to private companies has been going on under their watch alleging it suspected collusion in the malpractice.
The company has been facing a serious threat of closure after farmers started selling their cane to brokers, who then sell to private companies, starving the government-owned enterprises of raw material.
This has prompted the government to intervene, with firm instructions to the provincial administration to act, and prevent the closure of the company.
Finance permanent secretary Joseph Kinyua has written to Internal Security PS Francis Kimemia to beef up security in the area to curb the menace which, he said, if not checked could lead to closure of the company.
Mr Kinyua wants the Western provincial administration officials and police to stem arrest the activities in the Nzoia Sugar Company’s losses.
In his letter to Mr Kimemia, Mr Kinyua said the State firm was ’seriously being threatened by the activities of private jaggeries and other millers in the region who are buying cane from farmers contracted to Nzoia Sugar Company."
The loss incurred by the company from July 2007 to January 2010, Mr Kinyua said, is estimated to be Sh35 million in farm inputs to farmers who sell their cane prematurely to the unauthorised jaggeries and millers.
The farmers are provided with inputs through contracted farming, and in turn sell their cane to the company, which recovers the credit during payment.
"There is the misconception that since the company is targeted for privatisation, anybody can buy cane grown by farmers contracted to the company," he said. "The purpose of this letter is to request your provincial commissioner and the provincial police officer for Western province to intensify efforts to curb the cane poaching menace," said Mr Kinyua.
He said the company is a public asset and the existing cane that is grown in its zone must be preserved for the entity to operate profitably.
"Please take necessary action to save the company from early closure," said Mr Kinyua’s letter.