Bad leadership, corruption and greed residing within the Mumias Sugar Company leadership have been cited as factors leading to the collapse of the Company. among former Mumias Sugar Company leadership has been termed as being behind the woes facing the factory now. This is according to 84-year-old Silvanus Waudo, a prominent cane farmer from Mukangu village of Navakholo sub county in Kakamega County.
Speaking at his Mukangu home where he has over 45 acres of sugarcane plantation, Waudo, a former district veterinary officer, revealed that the ailing company owes him over Kshs 3 million. He argued that the company’s woes began with the change of leadership, shifting from White leaders to Africans who were selected to manage the miller without consideration of their interests in the company, coupled with appointing a director who wasn’t a farmer, “Appointing a director from the Coast region who is not a cane farmer was an act of exposing the company to fraudsters.”
Waudo also scolded KCB’s decision to place the struggling company under receivership, claiming the decision will majorly contribute to further failure. He suggested the bank should sit down and share with other stakeholders its intentions, then work as a team to help the Company’s recuperation.
He also faulted the national government for sidelining the factory, riding on claims that it has tried helping the sugar Company to no avail. He urged the government to consider setting up more factories and revive the collapsed ones to provide job opportunities for the youths.
