Sony Sugar picks acting MD with hopes of turnaround

South Nyanza Sugar Company Chairman Ambrose Weda. [Kepher Otieno]

The board of Sony Sugar Company has appointed the factory manager Bernard Otieno as the acting managing director.

Otieno’s appointment comes as the former MD Jane Pamela proceeded on leave pending the expiry of her contract in June.

Sources confided to the Saturday Standard that Pamela had written to the Ministry of Agriculture seeking renewal of her contract but there has been no response.

But yesterday, the company’s board member Mwita Nyangi disclosed that they had appointed Mr Otieno to take over from her. The new MD has already assumed the responsibilities and is expected to turn around the troubled miller and ensure prompt payment to cane farmers.

According to Mr Nyangi, they expect farmers to be paid within a fortnight after delivering cane to the miller. ’’We beseech our farmers to be patient as we address their plight,’’ he said.

He said they are working hard to make sure the farmers are paid what is commensurate to their heavy investments in cane growing.

Kenya produces 600,000 metric tonnes of sugar per year against a demand of 870,000 tonnes. The deficit is usually filled by controlled importation from Comesa countries but a ravaging drought has created a huge shortfall.

“The sugar shortage is also being experienced in the sugarcane producing regions within the Comesa block,” Agriculture and Food Authority Acting Director General Alfred Busolo said.

[Kepher Otieno]