Aldai MP donated 400 bags of contaminated sugar to schools, KEBS says

A wooden shovel on a heap of brown sugar. [Courtesy/iStock]

Students in at least 30 schools within the Aladai constituency have been consuming contaminated sugar donated by the area MP, Maryanne Kitany.

According to the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), the consignment of sugar distributed to these 30 learning institutions was deemed unfit for human consumption.

The schools that benefited from the food donation, allocated under the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF), included Ndurio, Kimaren, Chepkongony, Chepkuny, Kapkures, Kaptumek, and Koyo Secondary Schools. Other schools involved were Maraba, Kesegon, Koitabut, and Banja High Schools.

Concerns about the quality and safety of the sugar were first raised by the board of management at Ndurio Secondary School in January this year. The board requested the intervention of KEBS, the state quality control agency.

In response, KEBS officials from the North Rift Region acted quickly to collect samples and initiate investigations. A report from the agency, released on February 18, 2025, confirmed that the sample tested in their laboratory did not meet the required standards set by the KS EAS:2021 Kenya Standard for human consumption.

"The sample failed to meet standard requirements in conductivity ash, invert sugar, moisture content, polarization, water insoluble matter, total viable count, and yeast and molds. Therefore, the sugar is not fit for human consumption," reads the report signed by Vincent Cheruiyot, the regional manager for North Rift.

By the end of January, over 400 bags had been distributed, and most schools unknowingly had utilized the contaminated sugar before the KEBS report was released.

Kitany acknowledged that the sugar was purchased from a contracted local dealer and stored before distribution. "We have also raised our concerns with KEBS to explain how the banned sugar made its way to the local market. It has been confirmed that the sugar was locked up at Mombasa ports, but rogue officers allowed substandard products into the market," she stated.

The lawmaker further defended the supplier, asserting that the supplier also fell victim to the widespread counterfeit products present in the industry.