Emerging details indicate that National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich contravened the law by giving a blanket license to all interested firms to participate in the sugar importation that has since transformed into the contraband sugar saga currently being probed.
According to Sirisia Member of Parliament John Waluke, Rotich should have ensured that all the sugar coming to the country was imported from nations making up the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) bloc.
Speaking on Radio Citizen Wednesday morning, at a time when most of the sugar has been confirmed to originate from Brazil, Waluke condemned the move that has seen the nation land into another mega scandal.
He also faulted the CS for not vetting the firms before embarking on the importation process, leading to fear in the nation after revelations that it is stained with mercury and copper deposits.
‘’Rotich ako na makosa kupeana blank licence na kuruhusu watu walete sukari kutoka nje ya nchi za COMESA. Shughuli kama hizi lazima zithibitiwe (he committed a mistake by allowing imports from non-COMESA member states. The importation should have been regulated),’’ he said.
The government through the Ministry of Health has since confirmed that 60% of the sugar tested so far is unfit for human use, with more confinements being recovered hidden in godowns around the nation.