Two Shopkeepers Arrested for Selling Contaminated Sugar

Two shopkeepers were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly selling contaminated sugar. The arrests were made following a tip-off from a member of the public who had bought half a kilo of sugar from one of the shops and found that the granules contained a substance that she suspected to be poisonous.

The shopkeepers, who have been identified as Otieno and Kamau, were arrested from their shops in Riverside and Njeka Wholesale, respectively. During the arrests, police officers recovered various brands of sugar, including 48kg of sugar in a 50kg Brazilian bag, 40 pieces of 1kg packets of Kabras and Ndhiwa sugar, and 60 bags of 50kg bags of various brands including Kakira sugar, Indian brown sugar, and Diamond sugar bags.

The arrests come days after officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Kisii busted an illegal sugar repackaging operation at a multi-story building in Kenyenya Sub County. Acting on a tip-off from the public, Sub County Police Commander Charles Opondo confirmed that they had arrested a middle-aged woman who was allegedly working with others to repackage the sugar from Tanzania and Uganda.

The sugar was labelled with brands such as Mara, Sony, and other local millers to hide its true origin.

The arrests have raised concerns about the safety of sugar in Kenya. The government has urged consumers to be vigilant and to only buy sugar from reputable sources.

The government has also vowed to crack down on those who are selling contaminated sugar.

The arrests are a positive step in the fight against contaminated sugar. However, more needs to be done to ensure that Kenyans have access to safe and affordable sugar.