Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has dismissed Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o’s concerns over the privatisation of sugar companies.
While expressing his support for President William Ruto’s plan to lease sugar companies to private investors, Mr Odinga said the idea was to spur the economy.
He disagreed with ODM Governor Nyong’o who had strongly opposed the plan on Wednesday.
Raila, speaking on Friday following a meeting with Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, emphasized that leasing sugar millers is vital for spurring economic development.
Nyong’o had called for an immediate halt to the ongoing leasing process of sugar factories in Kisumu county, calling it a danger to local livelihoods, land ownership, and social harmony in the sugar-growing region.
In a statement, Nyong’o expressed concern over what he termed a “hurried and non-transparent” privatisation of Chemelil and Muhoroni Sugar companies, cautioning that it could drag the area back into rural poverty, enable land encroachment, and fuel ethnic divisions.
He further warned that this decision could escalate tensions, especially in border regions like Nandi-Miwani and Kipsigis-Kuguta.
Nyong’o also noted that the Leasing Transition Committee, responsible for managing workforce shifts and resolving disputes, does not include representatives from the county, farmer organizations, or labor unions.
Nyong’o on April 22, launched a scathing attack aimed at President Ruto as he accused the Head of State of ‘sabotaging devolution’.
In a hard-hitting letter, the governor referenced the ongoing dispute between county government and the national government over the management of the Roads Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF), which the president insists should be moved to the national government’s control.
By Newshub