Only a foreigner can rescue Mumias Sugar Company, says Kenya Union of Sugar Plantation and Allied Workers

Sugar stakeholders want a foreign CEO to manage ailing Mumias Sugar Company.

Kenya Union of Sugar Plantation and Allied Workers (KUSPAW) has claimed that a local CEO is susceptible to political interests, hence cannot rescue the miller from collapse.

Addressing the media in Kisumu yesterday, KUSPAW General Secretary Francis Wangara said recent political interference in the operations of the company has dimmed the confidence of sugar stakeholders on local managers whom they claim are serving the interests of politicians.

Mumias is currently operating below capacity due to huge debts and frequent breakdown of equipment. Farmers and workers, who are not paid on time, occasionally protest over delayed pay, further affecting operations.

The Government recently pledged to bail out the company by loaning it Sh1 billion. Mr Wangara, however, claims the money has not reached the company further messing the miller’s operations.

“With our politicians at the helm of the company, we are sure it will collapse and farmers and workers will be the ones to suffer. We want an impartial person to manage the company without being drawn into political compromise,” he said.

The term of the current CEO Coutts Otolo is expected to expire this month and Wangara warned there could be a vacuum in the company management as a successor is yet to be identified.

He said Otolo will not seek another term due to the hardships he has faced during his current term.