Give credit where it’s due. Eugene Kijana Wamwalwa and the Western MPs have begun the 2017 campaigns. Their anchor is on development and this is a space to watch. They have begun a revolution in the Western region of Kenya. Since he was taken into the kitchen cabinet in the ruling party Jubilee, the Kijana has given the naysayers a run for their evil schemes! This week on Wednesday, the President of the republic of Kenya visited the sugar growing Western region and on behalf of his government released Sh1 billion to the financially struggling Mumias Sugar Company and announced a revival strategy that includes undertaking a rights issue to raise between Sh3 billion and Sh4 billion. Kenyans were treated with a rare kind of politics!
People from the Western region of Kenya decided to go through into the abyss of their bitter rivalry between them and the son of Kenyatta and petitioned their Members of Parliament to meet the president with one agenda: Sugar and its sweetness! Indeed, this is real democracy! Politics that put sideshows aside. The leader of ODM Ababu Namwamba led the team of Western MPs to statehouse to plead with the president to intervene in the underdevelopment in their region. The region has been on the “FRIDGE” for a long time and time has come to shed off their pride and admit that they need to closely work with the central government to meet the needs of their constituency. Western region is vastly a sugar-growing region and the closure of Mumias Sugar Company due to poor management has resulted to extreme poverty in the region. World was abuzz with the rare visit of Western MPs’ to Statehouse.
The president has succeeded to convince the “always opposing and underdeveloped region” that he is keen to see to it that the 1 billion monies is used to pay them their dues. He also assured the westerners that those who have brought the company down will face the rule of law and since the president knows that he has won the heart of the westerners, we shall definitely see heads rolling and indeed, those who contributed to collapse of Mumias should be apprehended.
This is his bait and truth be told, it is purely politics but progressive politics. Indeed, he has warned the politicians not to play politics with this very serious agenda he has for the people of the west. Kenyans are clearly showing maturity by day and unlike those destroying toilets in Kibra, the westerners have gotten the ‘messiah’. I know very well and am sure this time round, Uhuru will persuade those naysayers to think well of him. He toured personally and presented the cheque and you could hear applause. He was also eyeing the revival of Pan Paper Mills in Webuye and the dying Nzoia Sugar Factory. He rattled the Kibra people and now he is in the west! I hope they will take him seriously. He should however be warned that Kenyans are watching and failure to deliver his JAP manifesto especially in this area will be a major undoing on his side.
It is now his turn to implement the four-point turnaround strategy for Mumias Sugar Company that includes appointment of a professional management team, injection of funds based on a viable plan, undertaking a rights issue to raise between Sh3 and 4 billion, and rescheduling of debts the company owes financial institutions. It is his turn now to prove his government’s commitment to supporting cane farmers.
Indeed, for the people of the west, it is high time to join hands and spearhead the Western Parliament Caucus agenda that is spearheaded by their Chairman, Nambale MP Sakwa Bunyasi and Budalang’i MP Ababu Namwamba. This will earn them political mileage. They should now put aside their political differences and unite to fight for the economic welfare of their region.
Mr Namwamba, who is ODM secretary-general, has assured the president that it is to the best of their interest to draw a firm line between this very noble regional economic agenda and political affiliations. They should be firm and focused on the economic empowerment of their people. Nonetheless, the president should not shy away from discussing the myriad issues that include sugar cane poaching, where the company is said to have lost over Sh7 billion, smuggling in of cheap sugar from neighboring countries and management issues, which have contributed to the financial troubles bedeviling Mumias Sugar. The sugar politics should bring food on the table of the ordinary poor farmers.
Once lauded as the best miller to have embraced diversification after investing in a water bottling plant, power co-generation, and an ethanol distillery, Mumias is now a pale shadow of its former self. The culprits should be brought to book and with urgency. The Anticorruption commission (KACC) should move with speed and hand over the files to Keriako Tobiko for further action. Those found palpable to corruption should be apprehended. They should return with immediate effect the monies squandered so as to grow the sugar politics in the west.
Dr. Njenga, Solomon
Chair and Head
School of Governance, Peace and Security
Africa Nazarene University, Kenya
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