Put your house in order or re-locate the factory, MP K’Oyoo tells Kibos Sugar.

 Muhoroni MP Onyango K'Oyoo addressing the press in Kisumu where he has told the management of Kibos Sugar Company to stop emitting raw effluent to river Kibos as well as stop air pollution to two schools around it-Photo By Dickson Odhiambo

 By Dickson Odhiambo.

February 18, 2019.

Put your house in order or re-locate the factory, MP K’Oyoo tells Kibos Sugar.

A MEMBER of Parliament from Kisumu County has told the management of a Sugar factory in his constituency to immediately put its house in order by ensuring that it adheres to environmental laws or relocate it to another area to avoid hurting the local residents.

Muhoroni Member of Parliament James Onyango K’Oyoo says the management of Kibos Sugar and Allied Industries must now stop polluting the air as well as River Kibos with effluent from the factory which it discharges.

Addressing the press in Kisumu today, K’Oyoo said it was a big mistake to put up the factory where it is currently situated because it is less than 40 kilometers away from Miwani Sugar Factory which was in existence when it was established a few years ago as per the law then.

The legislator has given the factory three months from now to do the right thing or ship out when such a time elapse without doing what the law requires.

K’Oyoo says despite the fact that the factory was established less than 40 Kilometers away from an existing sugar factory, it should not give it room to pollute the air and discharge raw effluent into River Kibos thus affect the lives of the local people staying around there.

The Lawmaker has questioned whether the National Environmental Management Authority {NEMA} did proper Environmental Impact Assessment before the established of the factory near Kibos Prisons Primary school and Kibos School for the Blind which have now been adversely affected by its establishment.

“NEMA should have done proper Environmental Impact Assessment before giving a go ahead for the factory to be established here. Nevertheless, this should now not make the factory to cause pollution anyhow especially to the two schools it found there,” K’Oyoo says.

He adds that since the establishment of the sugar factory and its allied Industries, it has affected the two institutions that is Kibos Prison Primary school and Kibos School for the Blind through serious noise pollution and emitting some black soot.

The lawmaker says it is now time for the factory to re-look on its operations failure to which it should re-locate somewhere since it is the one that was established after the two schools it found there. 

“It is high time Kibos Sugar and Allied Industries consider putting their house in order by ensuring that it strictly adhere to rules governing environment that outlaws pollution of rivers lakes. If it fails to do so then it should immediately re-locate to another are so that it does not continue affecting the local community through endless air and water pollution,” the Member of Parliament adds.

The Member of Parliament has threatened to talk to his colleagues who are members of the Parliamentary Committees on Environment and that of Labor and Social security to visit the factory so as to investigate the happenings there.

The Muhoroni Member of Parliament’s sentiment comes barely a few day after residents of Kibos area within the Constituency complained about the factory while accusing it of emitting raw effluent from the factory to River Kibos.

The residents now want both the County Government of Kisumu and National Government to urgently help in addressing the issue of constant emission of raw effluent into River Kibos by an established sugar factory and its allied industries within the area.

A spot check by the media at River Kibos last week shown that it had been polluted heavily and the water has turned black in colour.

The residents claim that Kibos Sugar and Allied Industries constantly emit raw effluent into river Kibos which has been their main source of water thereby heavily polluting it.

When the media visited the company last week to seek the comments on the matter, the management of the Kibos Sugar and Allied Industries refused to comment and told the media that they will invite them another day where they will be taken around the factory.

ENDS: