President William Ruto Sunday, warned private sugar millers that he would not relent in regulating the industry to revive government-owned companies.
Speaking during the interdenominational thanksgiving and prayer service at Uwanja Ndege Grounds in Bungoma County said that he would not sit back and watch a few people exploit Kenyans economically.
He singled out Rai (Jaswant Rai) of the Rai Group who has been in the spotlight recently after he was abducted by unknown people on Saturday, August 25.
Rai’s family filed a missing persons report at Kilimani Station a day after the incident.
Rai Group controls more than 40 per cent of the country’s sugar production and market supplies.
Read: Search Ongoing for Missing Billionaire Jaswant Rai After Kidnapping in Nairobi
Ruto was brutal in attacking him even as his family looked for him. He is yet to be found.
“Msikuwe na wasiwasi niko hapo chonjo kabisa. Nitahakikisha hii kitu inakaa chonjo. Na wakora wote wako katikati. Msikuwe na wasiwasi ati kuna mtu atakuja kutuongelesha kingereza. Sijui mhindi fulani. Sijui nani ni nani. Sijui mwingine ananiambia Rai. Rai Nani? Hapana hiyo haiwezekani.”
(Do not be worried, I am alert to make sure everything will be okay. There is no one who will meddle. Do not be worried about someone coming to talk to us. Someone was telling me Rai. Who is Rai? No, that is not possible.)
Ruto wondered why privately owned sugar companies were generating more profit than their public competitors despite the government pumping a lot of money into the latter.
He said the government will deviate from solely running the public sugar mills in the region as the strategy had failed in the past.
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“We want a formula that will bring government and private sector together so that Nzoia company can be sustainable and help locals and the government.”
“We cannot run business as government. We have tried that before, and it has failed. We pump in millions, and it sinks. How can private mills be functioning profitably when government-owned is riddled with debt? It’s a management issue,” he said.
Jaswant Singh Rai, Chairman of the Rai Group and Sarbi Singh Rai, who runs the Sarrai Group, which is domiciled in Uganda, are brothers.
The latter, however, has interests in Kenya.
In Kenya, Jaswant Singh’s Rai manages West Kenya Sugar/Kabras Millers in Malava, Kakamega, Sukari Industries of Ndhiwa in Homabay, Olepito Sugar at Tangakona in Busia and Naitiri Sugar in Bungoma county.
Recently, he was in the spotlight for battling for control of Mumias Sugar with his brother Sarbi Singh Rai.
Jaswant Singh Rai was reported missing on Saturday after he was allegedly kidnapped at Kilimani, Nairobi.
Police say they are investigating the incident. His family says they are yet to hear from him or his kidnappers.
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