I won’t engage cane cartels – CS

Cartels are still frustrating the sugar industry and I know them, Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuri said on Friday.

He said the cartels are sabotaging payments scheduled to be given to the farmers and sugar factories.

“There are people out there who are ready to sabotage the process because they are taking advantage of farmers and using the same farmers for their own gain,” Kiunjuri said in Nairobi.

“I decided that I don’t want to engage them. I know them but it is not my business to name them. I have to be principled and tell Kenyans the truth.”

The CS said some cartels pay farmers to hold street protests.

Last week, sugarcane farmers in Kisumu held peaceful protests, demanding disbandment of the newly formed sugar task force. They said they are not represented.

“You find that a farmer is paid Sh1,000 to be on the streets the whole day...if you pay another farmer another Sh200, he will do the same,” Kiunjuri said.

“We are not going to engage them. We shall pay farmers when funds are available.”

He said, however, farmers have to wait longer for Sh2.7 billion from the government. The Sh2.7 billion debt, according to the ministry, dates back to 2014. Kiunjuri said Sh1.9 billion will go to the farmers and the rest to sugar factories.

In October last year, President Uhuru Kenyatta directed the Agriculture ministry and Treasury to come up with a framework to pay sugarcane farmers’ arrears. Uhuru said the amount should be audited first before payments are made.

Kiunjuri said they have to wait for the supplementary budget to be read before payments are made.

“The government has to plan and act according to the Finance Management Act. I’m ready and I have issued all the letters required for the payment process,” he said.

The CS said the issue of payment should have been in the sugar task force recommendations and the government is only intervening.

Kiunjuri said if there is mismanagement in state corporations, then the government has to intervene.

“They were also to dig further and find out why the farmers cannot be paid on time. These are independent teams that need to work without the influence of anyone,” he said.

Last week, Uhuru told sugarcane farmers that they will be paid in due time.

He said a list of all farmers who have not been paid is being finalised and will soon be made public.