BY NANCY AGUTU
The point of focus in the Kenya-Uganda sugar deal debate should be lowering production costs, and prices in return, Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko has said.
Sonko asked leaders to refrain from using abuses to address the deal, saying keenly following the debate has shown him "most politicians are not using their heads wisely".
"As leaders we should be focusing on how to lower the cost of production to save our farmers and the sugar industry...matusi mob ni ya? (What are the many abuses for?) [sic]," he posed.
"I learned this in economics; if you lower the cost of production, sugar will become cheaper, making our industries more competitive."
Via Twitter on Wednesday, Sonko further noted that competition is good for consumers as the low prices-high quality products principle applies to all industries.
"So kama sukari ya Uganda ni 60 bob na pia ya Kenya ni 60 bob (If sugar costs Sh60 in Uganda and Kenya). Who benefits? All Kenyans do (cost of living is reduced) [sic]," he said.
The sugar debate has turned tribal, the Senator said, noting that Kenyans do not need that.
"Kenyans, everyday I warn you, hamtaki kuniskiza (you don't want to listen to me).The problem with our sugar industry is a mixture of bad management and corruption eg (Mumias) [sic]," he said.
He added that Luhya's will not agree to ODM's call for a Brookside Dairy milk boycott as they cannot drink black tea.
"I have been hearing leaders trying to lie to my people in Western Kenya to boycott brookside. Waluhya hawatakubali coz hakuna chai bila maziwa (Luhya's will not agree because there is no tea without milk) [sic]," he said.
The boycott call followed a claim by Cord that President Uhuru Kenyatta "mortgaged" 10 million poor Kenyans in the sugar belt to secure a market for Brookside milk.
Party deputy organising secretary Florence Mutua said Ugandans should buy the milk their milk.
"We call on our people to rethink their relationship with the companies in whose name our sugar sector is being killed," she said.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment