Butali Sugar Mills employees work at the plant in Kakamega County. Cheap sugar imports hurt local millers. PHOTO | FILE
By GERALD ANDAE, gandae@ke.nationmedia.com
In Summary
- Agriculture authority says it was denied entry to military base where about 370 bags of contraband sugar are stored.
- KDF has denied knowledge of the consignment amid efforts to dismantle a decades-old sugar smuggling cartel that is funding Somali militants waging war on Kenya.
The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) is locked in a row
with the agriculture regulator over the whereabouts of 370 bags of
contraband sugar, which were seized and allegedly stored at the Mandera
military base.
Sugar surveillance officials from the Agriculture Food and
Fisheries Authority (AFFA) have been denied entry into the base to
prepare for destruction of the illicit sugar.
KDF has denied knowledge of the consignment amid
efforts to dismantle a decades-old sugar smuggling cartel that is
funding Somali militants waging war on Kenya.
“After we got the information on this contraband
sugar, we sought to ascertain the volumes and plan how we were going to
destroy the consignment, but KDF is yet to allow us to see it,” said
Adan Ghure, the AFFA official in charge of sugar in Mandera.
When contacted, KDF spokesperson David Obonyo told the Business Daily that the Army does not deal in contraband goods and denied that the consignment was in their possession.
Trafficking
“You should ask the police where the consignment
was kept because the military does not deal with contraband goods,” said
Colonel Obonyo.
The government has taken steps to stop trafficking
of sugar from the southern Somalia port of Kismayu to Kenya’s frontier
and has set up a special unit in the National Intelligence Service (NIS)
to dismantle smuggling cartels.
Sugar smuggling is lucrative in Kenya, where the
local industry is protected from imports as part of an agreement with
African trading partners. The commodity is sold at an inflated price
compared to global markets.
District Criminal Investigation Officer (DCIO)
David Wangai said the consignment of 200 bags was seized mid this month
while 170 bags were confiscated on Friday.
He said the sugar was being held at the Mandera KDF
camp. “I can confirm that the two consignments of the contraband sugar
were seized and are currently being held at the KDF Mandera camp,” said
Mr Wangai.
The United Nations and the Institute for Defence
Analyses have previously accused KDF of engaging in illegal businesses
along the Kenya-Somalia border, especially charcoal trade.
A UN report indicated that the importation of sugar
and its smuggling into Kenya had continued unabated despite the
take-over of Kismayu port by military personnel. Mr Ghure said the
Directorate of Criminal Investigations had informed them of the
contraband sugar that was confiscated by KDF troops on a patrol mission
along the Kenya-Somali border.
The law allows only Ministry of Agriculture and Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) officials to destroy illegal sugar.
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