By Robert Wanyonyi
Nzoia Sugar Company chairman Lawrence Sifuna stormed out of a press conference after he was angered by questions over alleged irregularities in procurement.
Sifuna evaded questions over allegations of influencing the company’s tendering procedure involving three board members. He lost his temper and stormed out of the press conference.
“I can’t sit here anymore. I am leaving because you are asking me too many unending questions. I want all of you out of here,” said Sifuna as he left the company’s briefing hall.
The chairman returned later and demanded all journalists leave the company premises because they had become a nuisance.
Sifuna had begun the press briefing by accusing The Standard of witch-hunting. The chairman kept on telling journalists about his “long and distinguished” career as an MP for Kanduyi and Bumula constituencies.
“I want to deny the allegations contained in The Standard last Friday that some of us influenced tendering procedures. The claims were not true because we as board members do not sit on the tender committee,” said Sifuna.
But when The Standard reporter read out a text message the chairman had allegedly sent to one of the directors of a company that claimed to have missed out on the water-bottling tender even after giving out a kick-back, he conceded having sent the text but turned around and issued threats.
“Pilipili usiyoila yakuwashia nini? Cheka leo lakini unaweza ukalia kesho. (Why do you get irritated by pepper that you haven’t eaten yourself? Laugh today but you might end up crying tomorrow),” he warned.
After realising he wasn’t making any further headway in the matter, Sifuna abruptly rose from his seat and ordered other members of the company’s management at the press conference to leave, saying he had “other matters” to attend to.
Received complaints
In the story, exclusively carried by The Standard last Friday, it was reported that three directors at the firm had received Sh15 million from two companies in order to influence a tender worth Sh300 million for the installation of a water bottling plant at the firm.
