Sugar worth Sh94m destroyed

By Linah Benyawa

Officials from Kenya Revenue Authority in Mombasa destroyed a consignment of sugar worth sh 94 million after it was found to be unfit for human consumption.

The 12,600 bags of sugar, stored in 25 containers were seized by port police in 2007.

They were shipped in by a company in the United Arabs Emirates and bore the names of Mumias Sugar Company.

"The 50Kg bags of sugar were disguised as Mumias Sugar and were purported to be on transit to Uganda from UAE," said Fatma Yusuf, a KRA official.

An inspection report from Kenya Bureau of Standards dated June 23, 2010 stated that the sugar had expired and unfit for human consumption.

There was a court case over the consignment and an order was issued that the sugar be destroyed.

According to Mumias Sugar Company advocate Ananda Manase, the sugar was on transit to Uganda in 2007 when it was intercepted at the Mombasa port after they got an injunction to verify the consignment.

The destruction exercise was conducted under the supervision of the KRA and port officials on Wednesday.

The destruction exercise was one of its kind as the sugar was mixed with sand inside a godown and was later transported to a dumpsite a process, which the National Environmental Management Authority (Nema) called denaturing.

"This was the only option of destroying the sugar, we were considering the option of burning it but we don’t have the machine to burn it," said Ben Wemali Nema official.