Sugar wrangles not sweet news for cane farmers

Simon LibafuAs West Kenya Sugar Company and Butali Sugar Mills battle out in court over sugarcane zones in Kakamega North District, farmers will soon begin to feel the pinch of turf wars between the private millers. And the latest entrants into the fray are politicians who have taken a populist stance over the issue — they want the two millers to set their differences aside and let the farmers enjoy the benefits of "liberalisation".Fair competition in the sector is healthy and the farmers deserve to reap maximum returns. The Kenya Sugar Board and politicians must take responsibility for the current mess instead of passing the buck.Clear lawsQuestions abound why there should be any conflict at all between the two millers yet there are clear laws and regulations that guide licensing and operations of sugar millers.As for politicians, why bury your heads in the sand while you are responsible for legislating the same laws that you now wish away? Wouldn’t it have been prudent for you to amend the laws to allow for a truly liberalised sugar sector?Rural hospitals beg for new kit to ease burdenMs Beryl Achieng, a student of Maseno University, can’t help but to express her shock at the state of health facilities in rural areas."It is disheartening that public hospitals are still vivid examples of mediocrity in the areas where they are needed most," she says.Achieng claims the facilities in the rural areas have been neglected. Those that were built under the Constituency Development Fund are under-utilised because of shortage or lack of health workers and are ill-equipped.Demand services"Patients with all sorts of health problems are lumped together due to insufficient wards, while others who die are left there the whole night — a disturbing sight to other patients."Citing the case of Yala sub-district hospital, she says patients should demand good services instead of whining and being complacent."A new dawn came with the new Constitution, therefore, the ministries of Medical Services and Public Health should be on toes and ensure ordinary wananchi experience real change through better healthcare," says Achieng.&#12288;Not quite the service he seeksThis is an open letter to the top management of the fastest growing bank in the region, writes Mr Joseph Kamau.Mr Kamau raises concerns, which he says PointBlank, bank needs to iron out some important concerns to serve customers better. "Having been a member of the Equity Bank for several years, I must point out some of these worrying issues which, if not addressed, might hold back its ambitious plan to expand and modernisation plan.First, the bank IT system has been breaking down so often. A good example is last Saturday, when customers queued for hours following a network hitch.Worse still is the slow services rendered at some branches, especially in Nairobi Central Business District. It is not unusual to find many counters with no cashiers, while customers continue to wait endlessly in the banking hall. The situation is worse during end month. One would want to believe there is no staff shortage.I appreciate its impressive growth, but it is critical that the bank keeps its customers satisfied if it is to maintain that momentum. I believe the bank has the capacity to address these shortcomings," reads Kamau’s letter.Search for papers turns into insultsAttempts to obtain a national identity card (ID) at the DO’s office on October 18 at Kayole proved eventful for Ms Irene Njuguna. She claims she encountered "extremely rude" staff that not only kept her waiting for two hours but also disappointed her and asked her to return the next day after "many insults"."I could not bring myself to go back there for fear of being insulted yet again. I am forced to live without an ID card. One can only wonder why there are so many Kenyans out there without the vital document. Over to you Immigration Minister Otieno Kajwang," she says.Poll posters partly out, more public notices inApparently, after some politicians took a beating at the recent by-elections in Starehe, Makadara and Juja constituencies they went underground and are yet to surface.PointBlank asked the politicians on September 23 (Message is clear: Remove posters) their campaign posters pasted all over town. Only a few were removed such as the ones at Pangani Girls’ School perimeter wall. Probably, Mr Mugo wa Kihiu of Thika is still wondering why the politicians have not been courteous enough to clear the posters. Again, traders, traditional ‘doctors’ and peculiar service providers have put up more posters in every corner of city streets. Could the City Council of Nairobi move in to end this poster menace once and for all.

Sugar wrangles not sweet news for cane farmers

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