{"id":822181,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/822181/?format=json","text_counter":93,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Kieni, JP","speaker_title":"Hon. Kanini Kega","speaker":{"id":1813,"legal_name":"James Mathenge Kanini Kega","slug":"james-mathenge-kanini-kega"},"content":"From the samples collected from 45 counties by KEBS and laboratory analysis by the Government Chemist, contamination of sugar was majorly in moisture, yeast, moulds, total viable count and polarisation. Sugar suspected to be laced with mercury was detected in two areas but our efforts to validate the same were thwarted by the multi-agency taskforce. Efforts by the Joint Committee to validate the findings of the Government Chemist on the presence of mercury in the seized consignment of sugar by independent agencies namely the University of Nairobi and the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) were unsuccessful after they were denied entry to the two sites by the multi-agency taskforce. I now move to the very important part which is the recommendations. One, All sugar that does not comply with the set standards and hence unfit for human consumption should be destroyed by the multi-agency taskforce or any other appropriate government agencies within 21 days of the adoption of the Report of the Joint Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock and Trade, Industry and Cooperatives."}