MPs from western Kenya on Thursday snubbed an invitation to State House to protest against trade deals President Uhuru Kenyatta signed with Uganda. They singled out an agreement allowing importation of inexpensive sugar from the neighbouring country.
The Opposition says such imports will lead to collapse of sugar factories and this will impoverish farmers from their region.
As the political implications of the snub started to show, Cord chief Raila Odinga answered the President, arguing that in pointing out the perils of the sugar deal, he was only playing his role as the Opposition leader.
The MPs, under the auspices of the Western Parliamentary Caucus, said they turned down the invitation to the meeting which was to start at 8am.
They said they were not ready to sacrifice the livelihoods of their people at the altar of politics.
“This is not about politics, but the welfare of the people of western Kenya, who are cane farmers. It should be clear that we (caucus) have never declared our support for either Jubilee or Cord coalitions,” said Budalang’i MP Ababu Namwamba at Parliament Buildings.
The MPs first met in Parliament for two hours before their chairman, Nambale MP Sakwa Bunyasi, told journalists they would “politely” decline the invitation.
“We want to state openly that we received the invitation from State House to a meeting at 8am, but we resolved to politely decline the invitation,” he said.
Mr Namwamba said they were ready to meet the President again over the sugar deal on condition that the contents of the agreement are made known to them first.
He reminded Kenyans that President Kenyatta received a warm welcome when he handed over Sh1 billion to bail out the ailing Mumias Sugar Company.
“We cannot discuss the contents of an agreement we have not seen. We need copies of the agreement so that we can know what the deal is all about before agreeing to the meeting,” he said.
Government deputy chief whip Benjamin Washiali (Mumias East) had been asked to marshal the MPs to State House. Invitations to the meeting were sent out on Wednesday evening.
The MPs, however, chose to meet on Thursday morning and declined the meeting.
A group of MPs met Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi on Wednesday evening in Kileleshwa where they agreed to protect ailing sugar firms in their region.
UNDERMINE LOCAL PRODUCTION
Mr Mudavadi said: “The excuse of balancing trade between our sister countries should not be used to enter into pacts that undermine local production. It amounts to placing a ransom on citizens for the benefit of external friends. It is in bad taste.”
They also said the meeting should include leaders from other sugar producing regions such as the former Nyanza and Coast provinces.
Some of the MPs later joined Mr Odinga at his Capitol Hill offices, where the former PM criticised the President for telling him off over the sugar deal.
The ODM leader said he was playing his role as an Opposition leader and that it was the government’s role to revive the sugar sector.
“How to bring sugar prices down is not the work of the Opposition. My work is to oversight. It is up to the President to save the country from exploitation by sugar barons, deal with pricing and ensure local millers don’t shut down because of external interests,” he said.
Mr Odinga was with about 40 MPs and said local sugar millers had overstocked warehouses due to lack of a market.
Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale said the Uganda deal was an act of betrayal.
DESIRES AND ASPIRATIONS
“Our position remains that the deal allowing Uganda to sell its sugar to Kenya is at odds with the desires and aspirations of our people,” he said.
He added: “It is not a Luhya or western Kenya issue. This is as national as any issue can be.”
Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang’ula said it was not true that Uganda produces surplus sugar. He claimed the figures being circulated by government were false.
“The President as a former Trade and Finance ministers and knows this or has reason to know some unscrupulous business cartels are simply importing sugar from South America and repackaging it for re-export to Kenya,” he said.
Whether Kenya signed a deal with Uganda during President Kenyatta’s three-day visit is still shrouded in secrecy after Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed said no agreement was penned.
However, on Wednesday, President Kenyatta hinted the deal could have been signed, when he told off Mr Odinga, saying that it was not a problem for Kenya import sugar from Uganda to meet its shortfall.
All the MPs from western Kenya say the deal will have a devastating effect on the already ailing sugar sector, by killing off even the few remaining factories.
collect by ....http://www.nation.co.ke
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