The Kenyan government has taken action against 27 officials over charges of misappropriation of about 1,000 tonnes of sugar that was declared unfit for consumption, stated the country’s director of public service, reports Africanews.
The Kenya Bureau of Certification declared the shipment imported into the country in 2018 as expired and unfit for human consumption. The sugar was to be used for converting into industrial ethanol.
Felix Koskei, the Director of Public Service said that the sugar was instead regularly diverted and released outside for public use and was sold to a trader.
The shipment of 20,000 bags of sugar amounting to more than 160 million shillings was sold to the trader who repackaged and resold it, according to The Nation.
The retail price of sugar in the country has increased by around 30% in a month to over 200 shillings per kg, stated the local media.
The government is planning to introduce a new tax on locally produced sugar to increase its tax revenue.
