More suspected contraband sugar found in a Machakos warehouse

Machakos County Commissioner Matilda Sakwa (second left), police officers and farm officials when they impounded Brazilian sugar bags at Primarosa flower farm in Athi River, Machakos County. [John Muia/Standard]

Detectives have seized another 12,400 bags of imported sugar in a warehouse in Athi River, Machakos County.

The consignment of 50kg bags was yesterday found inside a warehouse of a flower firm on the Nairobi-Mombasa highway, about five kilometres from Athi River town.

A multi-agency probe has been launched. Machakos County commissioner Matilda Sakwa, county director of criminal investigations Jonah Kirui and county police commander Samuel Mukindia inspected the warehouse.

Officers from the Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and those from the Anti-Counterfeit Agency also joined in. The sugar was imported from Brazil in September last year.

Ms Sakwa directed the police to seal off the warehouse.

The development comes even as four Cabinet Secretaries - Mwangi Kiunjuri (Agriculture), Adan Mohammed (Industrialisation), Henry Rotich (Treasury) and Fred Matiang'i (Interior) appeared before a joint parliamentary committee over sugar importation.

It also comes as premises holding thousands of sacks of sugar and rice in Mombasa and Voi towns, which were taken over by police over the weekend, remained under guard for the second day yesterday.

Officials said besides about 1,000 sacks of sugar, there were two containers of rice in the Voi warehouse. Several warehouses raided on Saturday were holding about 300,000 bags of sugar. There was indication that other raids were made in Mariakani township in Kilifi County yesterday.

Authorities gave no reason for the raids but reports indicated that detectives wanted to establish whether goods held in the warehouses were imported legally and whether they were suitable for human consumption.

On Saturday police impounded 15,000 tonnes of brown and white sugar estimated to be worth over Sh1.5 billion at a warehouse in Mombasa.

Police sealed the New Generations Stores in Voi, Taita Taveta County and barred local KEBS officials from accessing it.