The Chemelil Sugar Factory in Kisumu County has begun its journey back to full operation following significant investments in equipment modernization.
The gradual start of the factory’s operations were witnessed by the Kisumu County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Agriculture, Irrigation, Livestock, Fisheries, and Blue Economy, Kenneth Onyango, who hailed the development.
“The county is impressed by the investments done to revitalize the equipment because the ones that were there initially were obsolete,” Onyango stated. He added that the management’s efforts to modernize the plant would greatly enhance its efficiency.
The CECM pledged the County Government’s full support for the joint efforts by the national government and industry players to revive the Chemelil Sugar Factory.
Onyango also addressed the crucial issue of regulatory stability. He noted that while the sector previously lacked guiding laws, the Sugar Act has now been passed. He expressed optimism that the Attorney General would expedite the release of the regulations accompanying the Act, which is necessary for “sanity to prevail in the sector.”
ALSO READ:
15 dormant Cooperative Societies in Mombasa are set for resurgence
He further appealed to local growers to invest in sugarcane farming to avail the raw sugarcane and benefit from the bonuses which comes from the sugarcane products.
Chemelil Sugar Managing Director, Jassi Chatthe, confirmed the readiness to kick-start operations.
“Today we were ready to gather blessings as we kick start the operations of the Sugar Company,” Jassi said.
He added that the initial technical steps have already been taken, starting with the firing of three out of the four existing boilers following their rehabilitation. Jassi announced that in the coming week, they would proceed to start the turbines and other sections of the factory.
Crucially for the local community, the Managing Director promised to issue new contracts next week, with the company intending to retain about 70% of the former employees.
By Juma Ndigo
Get more stories from our website: Sacco Review.
For comments and clarifications, write to: Saccoreview@
Kindly follow us via our social media pages on Facebook: Sacco Review Newspaper for timely updates
Stay ahead of the pack! Grab the latest Sacco Review newspaper!
