Rai has come to dismantle Nzoia Sugar for any scraps available. This is the major source of anger and people can’t do anything for 30 years should the company be auctioned . Even before cheap smuggled sugar arrived from Somalia, Uganda had cemented itself as a big player in the sugar sector, undercutting local growers. Busia was the favorite hub of the boom years but today sugar appears like magic in the shops.
Yet again, Kasongo wants the Luhya vote through sugar promises and needs Somali funding from the sugar barons. The master of duplicity is having a hard time selling both agendas. So which is which Bwana Tutatenga? Saving sugarcane farmers or pocketing sugar cartels campaign donations ?
It’s high time sugarcane is heavily subsidized like Rift Valley maize as geopolitics heats up in the region. Relying on Uganda and Somalia is a lazy and unsustainable option. We will make a step towards food security and also employ millions, instead of creating a country of consumers yet we have fertile soils for agriculture.