PANICKING GRIPS CHEMELIL SUGAR COMPANY. TOP MANAGERS BURN OLD FILES AND DOCUMENTS AS RINGERA TEAM ARRIVED

By Arrum Tidi
Luocome, Muhoroni

After the disastrous five days visit by a team of investigators from the Kenya Anti-corruption Commission (KACC) to Muhoroni constituency, residents of the area believe the team was only led to particularly selected projects, giving an impression that it was compromised.

The team was led by one, a Mr.Okwiri, whose rural home is located at Tamu location within Muhoroni constituency. Mr Okwiri's father, according to other sources is very close to the area MP and the LDP local and national luminaries. Therefore the residents sas it lacked transparency, impartiality and neutrality.

Residents of Muhoroni believe therefore that the work of this team led by Mr.Okwiri could not be trusted. The team went to Muhoroni specifically to investigate numerous complaints about the alleged looting of CDF funds, but went around in the company of the locational chief and one Eng. Ondiz who is said to be part of the CDF team that has misused the CDF money with impunity.

In contrast, another team from KACC visited Chemelil Sugar Company last week on Feb 13th, 2007, also located in Muhoroni constituency, to investigate how the company is operating and other relevant issues. This team, the workers believes is more credible.

The new team also visited the County Council of Nyando officers at Awasi to ascertain complaints about the council operations and management of its finances. The team also visited every department and turned things up and down at the Chemelil Sugar Company as it held truthful discussions with the heads of departments in the firm

During the exercise, it was alleged that some old company files and documents, which were staked in empty sugar gunny bags, and kept at the Chemelil Club mysteriously caught fire. The files and the documents were, however, rescued by the patriotic casual workers who put off the fire.

It was however not immediately known as to where the rescued files and documents were taken to .A source, however, confided to us that the burning of the files was an attempted arson by the top managers who are said to have panicked.

The news later emerged that workers at Chemelil Sugar Company were severely warned of dire consequences for anyone who divulged or leeked any kind of incriminating information to the KACC team.

But the workers who are fed up with corruptive practices perpetrated by top managers at the Nyando based Chemelil Sugar Company, ignored all the threats and defiantly talked to the KACC team.

Not forgotten is the recent purchase of state of the art, new brand of fuel guzzling vehicles for top managers and yet the cane farmers and the suppliers are owed millions of shillings by the semi insolvent sugar firm. The pertinent question being asked by the cane farmers is: "where did the money for purchase of new vehicles come from and yet the company is insolvent?".

Residents and patriotic workers believe this is the last looting spree as the Narc government will no longer tolerate non- performing parastatals !!

Cane foremen and stakeholders of Chemelil sugar are wondering as to why the Minister for Agriculture Kipruto Arap Kirwa renewed the contract of the Chemelil Company's CEO, Prof. Julius Omend Nyabundi last June (2006) after is was made public that the performance of Chemelil sugar Company was the lowest when rated with other parastatals?

The farmers however, were confidence that the KACC team would unearth the truth as to how much money the MD of Chemilil Sugar Company and Minister Kirwa pocketed through the shoddy deal involving duty free sugar import two years ago.

During the visit to Chemilil Sugar Company by KACC team, a number of panicking top manager dashed to the home of a prominent Nandi politician and pleaded with him to intervene and rescue them from possible reprisal

The team includes the Financial Controller, the Company Secretary (legal office) and the Internal Auditor, all of them Kalenjins. But our source reported that the Nandi politician flatly refused to be drawn into the controversy surrounding the alleged looting of the resources of Chemelil Sugar Company.

Meanwhile the Minister for Agriculture, Kipruto Arap Kirwa has reportedly degazetted the appointment of Mr. John Rotich as the chairman of the board of directors of the Chemelil Sugar Company. The removal of the former chairman was effected last month (January 2007)

It is being alleged that the minister has developed bad blood with Mr. Rotich following unconfirmed report that the board had recommended for the immediate removal of Prof. J. Nyabundi as the CEO Chemelil Sugar Company last year when his contract expired.

And the relation between the minister and the board went soar after the minister defiantly ignored the board's advise not to renew the MD's contract.