DAP-K party leader Eugene Ludovic Wamalwa has come out to clarify the party’s stance against the leasing of Nzoia Sugar Company to a private investor after the government advertised a tender notice for anyone interested in leasing the company, which lapsed on Thursday last week.
Addressing mourners at the funeral of the late retired teacher George Philip Chesoli at Nabongo Estate in Musikoma Ward, Wamalwa said that as a party, they will be going back to court to obtain injunctions against the process, claiming that proper public participation had not been conducted prior to the process.
He added that while the process was previously being conducted under the Privatization Act, it has since shifted to the Leasing Act, which he says they will contest in court. He claimed that the public participation conducted at Kibabii University was fake.
“The convergence at Kibabii University was purely a Ford Kenya affair and did not involve people from across the divide. Therefore, it cannot be termed as a conclusive exercise regarding the Nzoia Sugar Company, which is a matter of public importance,” he said.
His sentiments were echoed by former Kanduyi MP Athanus Wafula Wamunyinyi, who said that as leaders with an alternative opinion, they will not accept a small group of leaders making improper decisions regarding the heritage of the people of Bungoma County. He stated that going back to court would be inevitable.
He emphasized that they will not allow the company to be taken away in a manner similar to the way Pan Paper was sold, which has since stalled. As the watchdogs of society, he said, they will fight until the end.
Previously, in a meeting with leaders and other stakeholders held at Kibabii University, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula stated that leasing out Nzoia Sugar Company was the right decision by the government of Kenya, as the government had done enough to resuscitate the company without success.
He disclosed that leaders from Sony, Muhoroni, and other state-owned companies had all agreed to have their companies leased. He urged leaders from the region to embrace the same approach in order to achieve development.
