Matiang’i Denies Family Has A Vested Interest In The Sugar Business

Interior CS Fred Matiang’i while appearing before a Joint Parliamentary Committee denied having vested interests in the sugar importation business.

The CS was on the spot following his announcement that sugar was laced with mercury, reports that KEBS Managing Director Charles Ongwae denied.

Ongwae told the committee that the sugar was found to have traces of lead and copper.

Dagoretti MP Simba Arati on Thursday asked the bullish CS to state whether he or his family members were involved in the sugar business.

“Let the CS as we are starting tell us clearly if indeed he has any conflict of interest in what discussion we are going to have in terms of if himself or his family are involved in this discussion of the sugar crisis,” said the MP.

In a quick rejoinder, Matiang’i noted that neither he nor his family members “have a direct or indirect interest in any business of sugar.”

The CS did however assure the legislators that those found guilty of having imported the contraband sugar, including public servants will be brought to book.

President Uhuru Kenyatta while speaking in Gigiri during the United States Chamber of Commerce Summit at the UN headquarters said that should his brother, Muhoho Kenyatta be found guilty of having imported the duty free sugar, then he too should be charged.

“The intent of my government is to ensure a transparent environment for business to thrive, there will be no comeback on the war against corruption. We are going to fight this animal called corruption because it will inflict our future generation,” Uhuru said.

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This was after Aldai MP Cornelius Serem said that Muhoho’s company, Protech Investment, was one of the sugar importers.

But Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuri defended the Kenyatta kin saying that the list of companies presented before Parliament did not include the aforementioned company.

Kiunjuri said that he did not know how the company made it on the list of more than 100 companies that imported sugar.

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