Illicit sugar finds its way to Kenya despite ban

Can Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai find out why even after  Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya banned the importation of sugar from Uganda, the commodity is still finding its way into the country. Unscrupulous traders at the border town are said to be having a field day as they are literally minting money. Despite presence of a multi-agency comprising of officers from KRA, DCI and the National Police Service, the traders are bringing in sugar from the neighbouring country with little or no interference at all from any law enforcement agency. The influx of cheap sugar is affecting immensely local sugar factories, with some recording sharp decrease in sales. Crooked traders are now crossing the border to buy the sugar, repackage it before selling it in the local market.

An MP from a county in Western Kenya is a wanted man. Locals are deeply infuriated by their legislator for opposing an infrastructure project in the area, saying there were other matters to prioritise. Residents have called their legislator all sorts of names and have given him one week to withdraw his statement and apologise or else they take the next course of action; only known to them. They have asked the MP to remain in Nairobi until he meets their demands. A delegation of top government officials, including Cabinet secretaries, had been scheduled to visit the area but the tour was postponed due to Covid-19.

When it emerged that some counties lied that they had met the 300-bed capacity for isolation centres, one in the North Rift turned out to be among the worst culprits. A bird whispered to Corridors that the county appeared to have “procured used beds and mattresses” from boarding schools. The mattresses are said to be aged and sag in the middle. The beds are said to be disgustingly dirty and rusty and perhaps should have been sold to a scrap metal dealer. Concerned authorities should maybe visit all isolation facilities to ascertain the number of beds and check whether they are of good quality.

It seems Kenyan politicians move very fast and say nasty things about their former allies soon after they shift allegiance. A legislator from Mt Kenya seems to have very unkind words to former allies after shifting loyalty. The lawmaker is now calling the former associates hypocrites, who have no interest of the region at heart. The legislator seems to use every meeting with locals to drive the point home. A local told Corridors that residents are wondering what informed the sudden change of heart and why the lawmaker became combative instantaneously.