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Mumias Sugar Factory Workers are demanding Sarrai Group and Kenya Commercial Bank initiate the process of settling their arrears amounting to 2.3 Billion Shillings.

The Workers under the Mumias Sugar Factory Workers Association while addressing the Media in Mumias Town say according to the Leasing Bid Agreement signed between Sarrai Group and receiver Managers KCB, Sarrai Group pledged to pay all the creditors who include us Former and Current Mumias Sugar Company workers. However, the Ugandan based Investor who controversially took over the State Miller Management hasn’t fulfilled its pledge of settling Workers’ Arrears.

The Workers under the Mumias Sugar Factory Workers Association Chairman Patrick Mutimba Added that The Receiver Manager of KCB, PVR Rao has completely refused to meet the Aggrieved Workers because he handed the factory over to Sarrai Group.

‘The remarks by Sarrai Group Head of Operations Mr. Kihumba that we deal with Receiver Manager are out of order. Why is Mr. Kihumba directing us to Receiver Manager when his boss said would pay all the creditors? …asks Mutimba.

The Mumias Group Factory Workers say
Sarrai Group has confessed to have ferried workers from Uganda to Mumias Sugar, while thousands of able local youth are jobless despite being qualified to deliver both Technical and Manual duties.

‘’Sarrai should know that Kenyans who steered Mumias to its glory are outside here demanding for their arrears.’’ …says Mutimba, Chairman, Mumias Sugar Factory Workers Association.

On Sarrai asking Western politicians to keep off Mumias sugar factory affairs, the Workers say Sarrai is insincere since himself was politically unveiled at a political rally in Bukhungu during the 2022 August Presidential campaigns.

‘’He walked with politicians during campaigns.
What has changed that Sarrai is now asking politicians to keep off Mumias? Why is he feeling that some political leaders have finally realized his dirty tricks? We are inviting political leaders who care about our plight to support our quest for payment of our arrears.’’…Henry Kibondori – Mumias Sugar Factory Worker.

‘’We do have families that must be fed just like other Kenyans. We are appealing to political leaders from Kakamega not to keep quiet when a factory worth KSh15 Billion shillings with so many vast assets is taken by Sarrai at less than Ksh 5 Billion shilling On crushing capacity.’’…. Vitalis Makokha – Mumias Sugar Factory Workers Supervisor.

The Workers further say that Mumias Sugar Factory crushes 33 tonnes per hour (33 by 24) which is 792 tonnes per day. Therefore, it is a big lie that Mumias Sugar Company is crushing 2,000 tonnes of sugarcane per day as alleged by the Sarrai Group. The farmers further wonder where Sarrai Group is getting Cane from yet In their own admission they said farmers are avoiding them.

‘’Currently there is shortage of sugarcane and that is why Mumias sugar through brokers
are harvesting as young as 10 month’s sugarcane. It should be remembered that Sarrai does not even have a license to mill.’’ …Vitalis Makokha – The Secretary General of Mumias Sugar Factory Workers Supervisor.

The Mumias Sugar Factory Workers have vowed to continue demanding for their rightfully claimed arrears from Sarrai Group and KCB in addition to fighting for the hiring of local employees instead of importing human resource from Ugandan and India.