27 Gov’t Officials Suspended as 20,000 Bags of Sugar Vanish – Full List Revealed
The disappearance of 20,000 bags of contaminated sugar that the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) had condemned and seized is believed to have led to the suspension of twenty-seven government officials from various State agencies.
The officials sent home to pave the way for investigations are from the Kenya Bureau of Standards, Kenya Revenue Authority, National Police Service, and Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA).
In a statement issued Wednesday evening, Head of Public Service Felix Koskei announced the suspension of the aforementioned public officers, adding that the President had been briefed on the matter, which he termed “irregular and criminal release of condemned sugar that had been earmarked for conversion into industrial ethanol.”
“It has since been determined that the shipment was irregularly diverted and released outside of the procedure. In addition, the distiller failed to pay the applicable taxes and violated the terms governing open and competitive enlistment, according to the statement.
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Included among the 27 officials suspended are:
Kenya Bureau of Standards
- Lt. Col (Rtd) Bernard Njiraini – the Managing Director.
- Dr. Geoffrey Muriira, Director of Quality Assurance and Inspection
- Hilda Keror, Manager Inspection, Mombasa Port Office
- Liston Lagat, Assistant Manager, ICDN Nairobi
- Rono Birgen Chief Manager, ICDN Nairobi
- Stephen Owuor, Principal Officer
- Peter Olima Joseph — Inspector, Mombasa
Kenya Revenue Authority
- Joseph Kaguru
- Mwanja Masinde
- Stephen Muiruri
- Moses Okoth
- Doris Mutembei
- Chacha Hondo
- Carol Nyagechi
- Derick Kago
National Police Service
- George Mithamo
- Joel Kirui
Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI)
- Bernard Ngumbi
- Raphael Mwaka
Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA)
- Oscar Kai
- Patrick Magut
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).
The shipment of 20,000 bags of sugar, each weighing 50 kilograms, was imported into the country in 2018 by Merako Investments Limited from Harare, Zimbabwe, but was rejected by KEBS due to the absence of an expiration date.
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After KEBS rejected the sugar, it was transported to a storage facility in Makongeni, Thika, where it has allegedly been stored for the past four years.
According to KEBS regulations, “no goods that do not conform to Kenyan standards or approved specifications shall be allowed into the country and must be re-shipped, returned, or destroyed at the importer’s expense.”
After KEBS rejected the sugar, it was transported to a storage facility in Makongeni, Thika, where it has allegedly been stored for the past four years.
However, in December of last year, KEBS Managing Director Benard Njiraini wrote to the KRA Commissioner General stating, “KEBS has received a request from Assets and Cargo Ltd for the conversion of the subject condemned brown sugar into ethanol through distillation.”
The letter from KEBS was cc’d to Industrialisation CS Moses Kuria and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei.
Njiraini informed the Commissioner General that the Standard Act requires non-compliant goods to be returned at the owner’s expense or destroyed.
In the letter, KEBSs noted that it had reviewed the process for the destruction of the condemned shipment and approved in principle the environmentally friendly destruction of the subject through conversion to ethanol by distillation from approved manufacturers.
The KRA administrator received the letter from the KEBS administrator five days later.
Before April of this year, KRA had not taken any action. However, on April 29th, Faith Kiara, on behalf of the Commissioner, of Intelligence Strategic Operations Investigations and Enforcement, wrote a letter to release the condemned sugar in Makongeni, Thika under the condition that all outstanding taxes are paid within 30 days of the sugar’s release.
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After the two government agencies processed the release of the shipment. KEBS dispatched its inspection officer to Thika Vinepack godown. On 4th May to join the multi-agency team officers. And the DCI who were to open the godown forcibly to confirm if the shipment was still present.
Upon arrival at the Makongeni godown. The team discovered that the facility was empty despite the presence of KRA seals on the godown’s locks. Indicating that the sugar may have already reached the market and be available for purchase.
Since then, the DCI has launched a search for the shipment and is pursuing KEBS executives regarding the location of the condemned sugar that was supposed to be re-shipped or destroyed.
27 Gov’t Officials Suspended as 20,000 Bags of Sugar Vanish – Full List Revealed
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