The Cabinet has approved the write-off of debts owed by public sugar mill to the government following parliamentary approval.
Speaking at the State Lodge in Kisumu on Monday, President William Ruto acknowledged the two Houses’ resolutions on the reforms endorsed by the Cabinet for the turnaround of the sugar sector.
In addition, the National Treasury has also agreed to waive tax penalties and interest within 30 days as agreed by the cabinet. The plans for the payment of farmer’s arrears and employees’ salary arrears will be revealed in three months’ time.
The sugar companies owed the banks KSH. 65 billion, KSH. 50 billion in taxes and nearly KSH. 2 billion in farmers’ arrears.
The Cabinet has also approved an LPG (cooking gas) Growth Policy aimed at transitioning households from traditional fuels to the cleaner alternative of LPG.
The proposed measures include establishing common-user LPG import terminals, distributing subsidized cylinders to poor households, promoting LPG use in educational institutions and within affordable housing units.
The measures are aimed to reduce consumer prices, enhance transparency and improve public safety, contributing to public health and environmental sustainability.
The Cabinet has also approved the re-development of KenGen’s Gogo Hydropower plant in Migori County.
This project will help in increasing the plant’s generation capacity and enhancing efficiency, boosting power generation and stability in Western Kenya.
The Cabinet also agreed to the implementation of the Kenya Health Emergency Preparedness, Response and Resilience Project. This project will be in collaboration with World Bank which will include vaccine production capacity at the Kenya BioVax institute. It will also strengthen regulatory processes at the pharmacy and Poison Board and enhance quality control and assurance capabilities at the National Quality Control Laboratory.
In the Transport Sector, the Cabinet has approved the establishment of the Kenya Transport Accident Investigation Bureau which will help in the investigation of transport related accidents and safety recommendations.
