Kenya MPs probe 27,000-tonne Kibos sugar import over safety, clearance and distribution concerns 

KENYA – Kenya’s National Assembly Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives has launched an investigation into 27,000 tonnes of sugar imported by Kibos Sugar Refinery Limited over safety and clearance concerns. 

The probe follows inspections at the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Nairobi and a Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) bonded warehouse in Mombasa, where members established that part of the consignment had already been moved inland to Nairobi and Kisumu without key documentation such as production and expiry dates. 

Records presented to the committee indicate that Kibos Sugar imported about 27,000 metric tonnes of raw sugar, with around 3,900 tonnes transported to Kisumu and approximately 2,500 tonnes stored at the ICD in Nairobi. 

Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) officials defended the clearance, stating that the sugar was imported as raw material for industrial processing and was therefore permitted entry into the country. 

However, lawmakers questioned the absence of information on production dates, with Committee Chairperson Bernard Shinali raising concerns over the safety of the sugar even for industrial use. 

“It is not known when the extraction of the raw sugar was done, and it is therefore possible that it could already have expired even for processing purposes,” Shinali said 

The committee also questioned the diversion of part of the consignment to Nairobi instead of Kisumu, where Kibos Sugar’s refinery is located, while officials from the Kenya Sugar Board told MPs that none of the sugar had been processed due to maintenance at the plant. 

Following the findings, the committee directed that all activities relating to the consignment be halted pending investigations into its importation, clearance, transport and storage. 

Officials further noted discrepancies in the movement of the sugar, including portions transported to Kisumu and Nairobi before clearance clarification, prompting further scrutiny from lawmakers during the inspection visits. 

KRA maintained that all imports were cleared under existing regulations for industrial raw sugar pending further verification by relevant authorities and parliamentary oversight processes continuing in Kenya in ongoing review. 

The committee is expected to continue hearings as it seeks to establish the circumstances surrounding importation approvals, transportation routes, and compliance with safety and customs requirements for the consignment. 

Last year, the government leased Chemilil Sugar Company to Kibos Sugar & Allied Industries Ltd under a public-private arrangement aimed at improving efficiency while retaining public ownership. 

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