President William Ruto has cracked the whip on 27 officials suspected to have facilitated the entry of illegal 'contaminated' sugar into the Kenyan market.
The sugar, which is said to have contained traces of copper, arrived at the Port of Mombasa in 2018 but was condemned by the Kenya Bureau of Standards as harmful for human consumption.
They ordered that the sugar, with an estimated worth of Sh163 million, be destroyed by burning or burying in an exercise that would be supervised by experts.
Kebs later changed the stand and stated it should be converted into industrial ethanol.
The process of turning the product into ethanol can only be done at four agencies, which include Kenya Wines Agency and Agro-Chemical and Food Company Limited (ACFC).
However, the agencies mandated to handle the sugar did not follow the procedures and no taxes were paid to the government.
Those arrested and grilled said they were ordered to release the sugar and have it transported to Thika via SGR where it was to be repurposed.
More than 1,4000 bags were recovered and analysed by the Government Chemist and traces of mercury, copper, mould and yeast were found.
Despite the bags being marked as 'not safe for human consumption' unscrupulous retailers repackaged them in 1kg and 2kg packets and sold them.
They were disguised as local brands among them Kabras, Mumias Sugar, West Sugar and Kilimo Kenya.
A consignment of more than 1,417-50 kgs bags was found in Beder Stores in Eastleigh and Paleah Stores at the Ruiru bypass.
Packaging labels said the sugar originated from Zambia and Brazil.
At the Paleah Stores, officers recovered 581 bags of sugar labelled Brazil, 49 bags labelled Zambian Sugar, 238 bales containing 10-2kg packets, 132 bales containing 20- 1 kg packet, 8 bags of unlabelled sugar and 409 bags purported to be from Nzoia Sugar.
Also recovered was a mixer machine which then DCI boss George Kinoti said was being used for mixing genuine and harmful sugar before packaging.
During a press briefing following the recovery, then Interior CS Fred Matiang’i warned that the sugar had impurities that could be cancerous.
"I want to be frank with the people of Kenya that we have to change the way we live. We are not going to be polite about this," he added.