Three city traders on bad sugar charge out on bail

What you need to know:

  •  On the same day, the three were also found offering for sale 204 fifty-kilogramme bags of brown sugar valued at Sh679,000.

  •  They were also given an alternative bond of Sh2 million if they fail to raise the cash bail amount.

Three traders were on Monday charged in a Nairobi court with offering for sale substandard sugar worth millions of shillings.

The sugar was repackaged in Kabras Sugar Company Limited bags.

Mr Dahir Ahmed Hassan, Mr Mohammed Dahir Ahmed and Mr Ahmed Sheikh Mohamed who were arraigned before a principal magistrate Martha Mutuku, faced five counts of offering for sale substandard white and brown sugar and applying the Kenya Bureau of Standards mark contrary to the law.

The prosecution told Ms Mutuku that on June 4 at the Diamond Wholesalers Stores within Eastleigh Estate, the three, jointly with others not before court, were found offering for sale 922 fifty-kilogramme bags of white sugar valued at Sh3,070,260.

BROWN SUGAR

The magistrate heard the sugar was packed contrary to the standard specification for white sugar.

On the same day, the three were also found offering for sale 204 fifty-kilogramme bags of brown sugar valued at Sh679,000.

The third count was that at the same stores they applied the Kenya Bureau Standards mark on Kabras Sugar Brand without a permit from KeBS.

They were also accused of repackaging the brown sugar under poor hygienic conditions, rendering the product unsafe thereby compromising its quality.

The last charge was that they were found offering for sale 648 jerricans of 20-litre Premium Safari Cooking Oil valued at Sh1,555,200.

POLICE CUSTODY

Defence counsel Samson Nyaberi applied to have the accused admitted to bond, saying they have been in custody since June 6.

 “The accused have been in police custody for almost ten days. They were first arrested on June 4 and paraded in court on June 6, when it was directed they be detained in police custody to assist in investigations,” Mr Nyaberi told Ms Mutuku.

 The prosecution did not oppose the release of the traders on bond.

 Ms Mutuku directed each of the accused to deposit a cash bail of Sh300,000 until September 3 when the case against them will come up for trial.

 They were also given an alternative bond of Sh2 million if they fail to raise the cash bail amount.