A Cabinet Secretary and two elected Members of Parliament drawn from two constituencies within Kiambu County are on the radar of detectives after it emerged they could have played key role in the disappearance of 20,000 bags of poisonous sugar packed in 50kilograms valued at Sh163million.
The trio are set to be summoned by the sleuths at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) even as 27 people including suspended Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) Managing Director retired Lieutenant Colonel Bernard Njirani are expected to be charged in court today.
The condemned sugar was seized in 2018 after being found unfit for human consumption due to cancer causing ingredients discovered in the consignment.
However, to the dismay of the DCI officers, the flagged cargo was discovered missing a fortnight ago.
It is believed the trio alongside rogue KEBS and Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) officials were involved and aided the release of poisonous sugar to Kenyan market.
The clandestine plot that exposes Kenyans to grave health hazards was executed in December last year.
This is the second-high profiling scandal to mire the nascent president William Ruto’s administration with only less than one year in office.
“There are quite a good number of individuals who are persons of interest in this matter. We will seek to establish their role on this issue. Sometimes, the principal masterminds of a crime can bare greater responsibility than those who commit.” A senior detective told The Informer Media Group.
Merako Investments Limited imported the said sugar into the country in 2018 when it was flagged and detained pending destruction through burying or burning under supervision of experts.
President William Ruto through the Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei has already cracked the whip through dismissals affecting 27 people.
“It has since been established that the consignment was irregularly diverted and unprocedurally released. Further, the conditions relating to open and competitive enlisting of the distiller were breached and the applicable taxes were not paid. It is manifest that some officers in the relevant agencies abdicated their responsibilities, at the risk of public harm.” A dispatch from State House read in part.
The condemned sugar was supposed to be stored at Vinepack Industries in Thika but it is now emerging that Vinepack contracted Kings Commodities Limited in Thika to store the sugar.
In September 2022, Vinepack Limited was raided by the KRA over claims of operating without a licence, producing counterfeit liquor and evading taxes.
On April 12, 2023 the multi-agency team was summoned to coordinate release of the condemned sugar by KRA; it was supposed to be converted into ethanol for industrial use upon arrival in Nairobi.
On the same day, all the 20,000 bags of the condemned sugar were dispatched to Thika for distillation at Vinepack industries.
Estimations reveal that it took 8 days to process the consignment at the Port of Mombasa, dispatch the same to Thika and offload the sugar for storage.
On April 20, 2023, the consignment was received in Thika by the Nairobi-based multi-agency team where they witnessed the disarming of the cargo, removal of the seals and offloading into go-downs contracted by the distiller – Vinepack.
Besides Njiraini, other KEBS officials axed include; Geoffrey Muriira (Director of Quality Assurance and Inspection), Hilda Keror (Manager Inspection, Mombasa Port Office), Liston Lagat (Assistant Manager, ICDN Nairobi), Stephen Owuor (Principal Officer), and Peter Olima Joseph (Inspector, Mombasa).
Those affected in KRA include Joseph Kaguru, Mwanja Masinde, Stephen Muiruri, Moses Okoth, Doris Mutembei, Chacha Hondo, Carol Nyagechi and Derick Kago.
Other officials from police who are part of multi-agency team that handled the sugar and were also suspended include George Mithamo, Joel Kirui, Benard Ngumbi and Raphael Mwaka.
Others include Joseph Maita Mweni (Port Health), Isacko Bonai (NEMA), Stephen Cheruiyot (Anti-Counterfeit Agency), Daniel Ngugi (KEPHIS), Willy Koskei (EACC), and Edwin Ruto (KPA).
AFA officials affected are Oscar Kai and Patrick Magut.
