Sugar deal gets sour as CORD calls Ruto ‘high priest of corruption’

The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) now wants the government to make official the sugar deal it signed with Uganda.

CORD leaders say that the details of the sugar deal between Kenya and Uganda still remain scanty despite calls for the government to make them public.

CORD alleges that the sugar imports deal is meant to benefit a few individuals in the government as well as finance the 2017 Jubilee campaigns.

Suba Member of Parliament John Mbadi says that the government needs to explain on who will benefit from the deal and how.

Mbadi further alleges that the Jubilee leaders want to use the deal to import sugar from other countries that are not under the COMESA market region block, a move they say will affect the local sugar market and ‘kill’ the already struggling sugar sector.

Mbadi further pointed an accusing finger to Deputy President William Ruto saying that he is the rig-leader of corruption in Kenya.

“Ruto is the chief priest of corruption, he has so many land grabbing accusations and he needs to address the issue of licensing sugar imports during his tenure as the Minister for Agriculture,” said Mbadi.

Suna East MP Junet Mohamed alleged that the Jubilee coalition aims at raising Ksh 120 million for its 2017 campaigns and hence the hurry to strike the deal that will allow them make the extra cash.

“The shortage being talked about is for white industrial sugar that even Uganda does not produce,” said Junet.

He went ahead to say that its only President Uhuru Kenyatta who will benefit from the deal by exporting milk and meat to Uganda in exchange for sugar.

“Uganda sugar is already in our shops, this means that the deal was being worked on through the back door.”

CORD and Jubilee have been at loggerheads over the sugar deal that was allegedly signed by President Kenyatta and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda.

However, the government has denied existence of such a deal.