Antynet Ford
Two people were arrested by the police in Kisumu after suspected sugarcane farm arson that led to huge losses.
Kisumu County Commissioner Benson Leparmorijo said the two were taken into custody to assist the police with investigations.
Leparmorijo attributed the attacks to sabotage, adding that the arsonists intend to cripple the sugar sector and harm the economy.
This comes as for the past few months, several thousands of acres of farms in Muhoroni, Chemelil, and Kibos have been destroyed.
“We don’t know what the motive is. These people want to destroy the economy. We want to know those sending them.” The commissioner said.
He said they had held several meetings with the regional commissioner, the factories, and several stakeholders.
Leparmorijo urged the community and local leaders to reject such harmful behaviors.
The arrest follows persistent calls by the county government to the police to investigate the arson attacks.
Agriculture executive Ken Onyango described the fires as economic sabotage.
The fires have disrupted cane development schedules and could lead to a shortage of raw materials, which may force the closure of three major factories in the area.
Kibos Sugar manager Richard Sewe and corporate affairs manager Joyce Opondo said the destruction of the cane had resulted in massive losses.
“Harvesting and crushing burnt cane leads to high operational costs and affects the quality of sugar. It also results in environmental challenges.” Opondo said.
Silvanus Oging said his farm was set ablaze on Saturday at around 4.35 pm.
He was expecting at least Sh8.6 million from his harvest but now faces uncertainty following the attack.
“I don’t know when the factory will be able to harvest it because they are already overwhelmed with other cases like mine. It’s heartbreaking. I was counting on a significant harvest but now that money might be out of reach.” He said.
He had invested heavily in developing his sugarcane plantation which cost Sh3.6 million.
He added that there is still room for the president to put his house in order.
