Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) Managing Director Charles Ongwae has been arrested in connection with the ongoing saga of the poisonous sugar in the country. Together with other officials, they have been taken to the CID headquarters for interrogation.
Mr Ongwae has been arrested just a day after dismissing claims that there is poisonous sugar in the country. This claims contradicted those made by the Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, by claiming that no mercury was found in the impounded sugar.
Testifying before the National Assembly Committee on Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives chaired by Kieni MP Kanini Kega, Mr. Ongwae said, “Copper and lead were detected and were beyond the safe levels.”
However, he also said that the sugar they tested had no mercury, as claimed by the Interior CS that it contained deadly mercury.
“Did we test from the same sample? I really do not know. In terms of sampling, we went to DCI to get the sample and the results are what we have submitted to the DCI,” he continued.
In his defense, he said he didn’t know where Matiang’i and Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti got the results they announced as containing deadly mercury.
“The said results from tests carried out on the sugar unfit for human consumption were not done by Kebs,” Ongwae said.
It is not clear why the KEBS boss with other several officials have been arrested.