New task force should help bring to an end sugar industry woes

Last week, Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuri launched a task force to address the crisis in the sugar sector. Probably because many Kenyans—especially those reeling from the collapse of the once vibrant sugar industry—viewed the launch as yet another of the many doomed attempts to revamp the sector, the occasion did not receive much media play.

Or maybe because the terms of reference of the 16-member committee that Mr Kiunjuri will co-chair with Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya are the same mundane issues we have become accustomed to; or may be because of the wide scope of the task force’s mandate—looking into ways of addressing the past, present and emerging challenges in the sugar industry—many believe what will come out after the 30-day deadline is another case of refusing to confront what really befell the industry.