Mumias sugar firm revival to top Kakamega county agenda
Kakamega Governor-Elect Fernandes Barasa yesterday said the revival of Mumias Sugar Company will top his agenda.
Barasa said he was fully behind the ongoing efforts to have the miller roar back to life.
He said he would initiate talks with various shareholders and creditors of the company to have them withdraw a string of cases in various law courts.
“Mumias Sugar Company is the lifeline of the people of Kakamega and the Western region. I will ensure it is fully brought back to life,” he said.
The new county chief said he would also ensure that all projects initiated by his predecessor, Wycliffe Oparanya, were maintained and completed.
They include a tea factory in Shinyalu constituency, a milling firm in Lugari, a gold refinery in Ikolomani, tarmacking of key roads and connection of more residents to clean water.
He added: “Governor Oparanya laid a very firm foundation which I will leverage on to serve the people. I will not be the governor for Mumias East or Matungu, but of the entire county”.
Barasa originally hailed from Mumias East Constituency but has now settled in Matungu.
He promised not to blackmail or discriminate against any person based on who they might have supported in the elections. “Some people claim that we will, for instance, lay off a number of county workers who openly campaigned for my competitors. That is outrageous,” he said.
The governor-elect said he would fulfil his pledge to have Sh20 million allocated to the 60 wards to spur development at the grassroots and would find ways of reviewing taxes for small-scale traders.
“My vision is to transform Kakamega into an economic hub similar to Dubai. I have been in the corporate world and I will use my expertise and experience to do this,” he said.
Barasa won the seat on an ODM) ticket after beating former Senator Cleophas Malalah of ANC.
