Members of the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives inspect sugar storage facilities at Mombasa Sugar Refinery in Kisumu on June 15, 2026 .[Michael Mute, Standard]
The National Assembly's Departmental Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives has launched investigations into the importation of thousands of tonnes of raw sugar deemed unfit for direct human consumption amid growing public concern that the consignment could find its way into the local market.
The inquiry follows reports that a consignment of imported raw sugar, currently under processing in Kisumu, may pose a risk to consumers if proper safeguards are not strictly enforced. The committee has, however, assured Kenyans that measures have been put in place to prevent the sugar from being released into the market before undergoing the required industrial refining process.
Speaking during an inspection visit at Kibos Sugar Company's facilities in Kisumu on Monday, Committee Chairperson and Ikolomani MP Bernard Masaka Shinali said lawmakers were tracing the movement of the sugar from the Port of Mombasa to its current location in Kisumu to establish whether all legal, health and safety procedures were followed.
"We have come here following information that has been aired by the media regarding the importation of raw sugar, which is unfit for human consumption. In simple terms, this is sugar that is not supposed to be consumed in its current form or placed on people's tables," said Shinali.
The committee's investigations began in Mombasa, where members visited storage facilities at Kilindini Port after reports emerged about the controversial sugar consignment.
"We started in Mombasa and found stocks of raw sugar. The agencies responsible for clearing the consignment informed us that it was destined for Kisumu, specifically for processing at Mombasa Sugar Refinery Limited," he said.
The lawmakers subsequently traced part of the consignment to the Autoport Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Nairobi after establishing that some of the sugar had been transported by rail from Mombasa before eventually being moved to Kisumu.