Two sugar farms that were tasked by the parliamentary committee to explain the sugar dealings shifted the blame to Kenya Bureau of Standards(KEBS) stating that they were approved at all levels.
They said that before the sugar left the ports in Brazil, KEBS officers inspected their standards and gave the certificates of conformity.
Naushad Merali who is Managing Director for Stuntwave and Hydrey P limited said that it was unfair that their ware houses were sealed off yet they were given a nod by KEBS.
Read:Bomb Warehouses Containing Contaminated Sugar – Dida Advises State
“Mr Chairman, it is unfair all the Sugar dealers have been victimized, all our warehouses have been sealed after the mercury claims which is not true,” said Merali.
However the members of parliament did not sympathize with the sugar firms accusing them of underhand dealings with KEBS officers. The members of parliament led by Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa said that they should not be wasting time grilling dealers yet it was evident that KEBS ought to be accountable.
Dagoretti MP Simba Arati revealed that the dealers were being dishonest with the joint parliamentary committee probing the sugar saga. Arati added that parliament had recommended that dealers adversly mentioned in the saga have their licenses cancelled.
The dealers however denied knowledge of the recommendation to revoke their licenses.
CS Matiang’i and the police recently issued a public warning that most sugar imported into the country had traces of mercury and other metals such as lead and copper, which was refuted by suspended KEBS Director Charles Ongwae.
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