Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i says he does not regret claims that contraband sugar contained mercury.
The defiant minister on Thursday told the Parliamentary Trade committee that he has a right to tell Kenyans the truth about illicit trade in the country.
“It is my right to speak the truth and tell Kenyans what they deserve to be told as far as fake products are concerned.
"No one is going to push me to withdraw remarks I made following the contraband sugar that was nabbed,” he said.
According to Matiang’i, Kenyan farmers who grow sugarcane must be given priority to trade with sugar factories.
"We have farmers in the country who have grown sugar cane. I don’t support cartels who import bad sugar to the country yet we can access the same locally," he said
Matiang’i noted that war on illicit trade must continue to ensure rogue traders and cartels are flushed out.