The DCI is investigating the case of missing condemned sugar from a warehouse in Thika. Two important people, a Cabinet Secretary and a Member of Parliament, are being investigated as potential suspects.
The sugar, which was deemed unfit for human consumption in 2018, went missing two weeks ago, raising concerns that it might have already been distributed to supermarkets.
Efforts by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to track down the hazardous batch of sugar have proven unsuccessful, raising concerns that it may have already made its way onto the shelves of supermarkets.
Detectives from the DCI strongly suspect that influential individuals were involved in the illicit transaction, believing that the sugar had already found a willing market even before it departed from the Port of Mombasa.
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Citizen Digital has obtained a detailed account of how the 20,000 bags of poisonous sugar were transported from Mombasa to a warehouse in Makongeni, Thika, shedding light on why this sugar, which was declared unsafe in 2018, might already be present on supermarket shelves.
Upon visiting Vinepack Industries in Thika, the reported location where the toxic sugar was supposedly stored, investigators discovered a serene atmosphere with only a single security guard present at the premises.
It is worth noting that this specific establishment had previously been raided by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) in September of the previous year. The raid led to allegations of operating without a license, manufacturing fake alcohol, and avoiding taxes.
The officials from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) are facing a race against time to unravel the mystery surrounding the missing consignment of sugar. Their investigation aims to determine the circumstances under which it left Mombasa, how it was transported, where it was stored, and ultimately how it seemingly vanished into thin air.
On April 12, 2023, a team from different government agencies was brought together to oversee the release of the condemned sugar. The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) gave permission for the sugar to be used in making industrial-grade ethanol when it arrived in Nairobi.
At the same time, all 20,000 bags of the condemned sugar were taken to Thika on that day. The sugar was supposed to be distilled at Vinepack Industries.
Based on estimates, the whole process, from handling the sugar at the Port of Mombasa to sending it to Thika and unloading it for storage, took around 8 days.
On April 20, 2023, the delivery of the consignment reached Thika, and the team of officials from various government agencies based in Nairobi was there to receive it. Their role was to supervise the process of unpacking the cargo, taking off the seals, and moving it into the warehouses contracted by the distiller, Vinepack.
On May 4, 2023, when officers from KEBS, the multi-agency team, and the DCI revisited the warehouse in Thika to initiate the distillation process, they were shocked to find the premises completely vacant.
The 20,000 bags of contaminated sugar had vanished under mysterious circumstances.
It has been two weeks since the reported vanishing of the dangerous sugar, and investigators have not yet been able to locate the missing consignment. Various officials implicated in the scandal have been interviewed by the DCI and have provided their statements.
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In response to the crisis, KEBS has undergone a reorganization in its leadership. Esther Ngari has been appointed as the Acting Managing Director for a duration of six months, while Bernard Nguyo has taken on the role of Acting Director of Quality Assurance and Inspection during this interim period.
