But Mr Soita has problems of his own when it comes to cane payments at Nzoia.He say 6 cane fields of his for the crop he harvested 2001 were among the skipped cases and management has failed to explain why he can not be paid.
He gave the example of field no.33408106404 and 33408206501
where the cane was delivered on 18/8/2001 , this he says the company
has failed to trace the records . The civic leader wonders who should
keep the farmers records BY LUKE KAPCHANGA DN/WEBUYE NZOIA 16/11/2004
her cane she delivered to the factory in 2001.She says the purpose which forced her to plant cane is over due and sees no need to pursue the payments and yet she is securely if management at the company does not want to be blament.
Mr. Eluid Khisa has slightly different complain against the sugar company, his is the case of underpayment and management have elluded permitting him audience to ask about the remaining money.
Mr.Khisa field cane no.is 33304205382,he delivered 36 tonnes of cane to the factory and was paid for only 12 tonnes and has never got any explanation on the mode used to deduct his cane.
The list of farmers complaining against poor payment procedure at Nzoia sugar company grows by the day and both farmers represantatives and political leaders seem to have run outn of steam to fight for their cause.
The farmers led by Mr.Joshua Wepukhulu last week convened a meeting at Makhele market from where they gave the management 14 day notice to clear payment of skipped cases or they disrupt operationsof the company.
The farmers insist that shs.300million released by the government last May has not benefited them fairly because the manner in which screening exercise to verify them was done.
They claim that the board of directors was ill advised by management to go out to register farmers affresh with the sole purpose of weeding ghost farmers.
Mr. Wepukhulu says that his cane field no.36201307771 has been paid without getting the statements of account and does not know whether he was paid less or more. The efforts to inquire about the statements are frustrated by what he calls hostile company employees.
The employees at Nzoia sugar factory he says treats farmers with suspicion and are very arrogant to attend to any problem raised by the farmer.
Mr.Francis Mapesa whose cane field no. is 36204502010 was notified to be paid on 23/7/2004 by the agriculture manager bMr.Maclean Wasike but he has not received any money.
Mr. Mapesas cheque no was 026236 he was on list 2016 were others have been paid and tracing the cheque has become a problem.
On her part Mrs.Ruth N Richard field no 33303203811 was paid and deducted shs.6000 and allegedly took the money to Nzoia outgrower company -SACCO, where she is not a member.
Mr. Wepukhulu who is a victim of the the deductions on field no3330345720 does not understand how the company management reached the decisions.
"We as farmers suspect collusion among senoir managers in the racked of deducting non-noco-sacco members their money which never goes to sacco offices" he said
The farmers claim that when they go to noco-sacco to ask about their money they are reffered back to Nzoia where they fail to get audience with management.
Mr. Protus Manyonge field no.36107940300 ,list 0319 had his cane harvested in December 2003 which is in the current payment has not yet been paid but is told that his name is not in the records.
The cane farmers are annoyed with the managing director Mr. Josephat Akoyo for repeatedly saying that the old cases of accumulated debt has been cleared.
At the Makhele meeting they resolved thatmanagement without further delay address the issue of advanced loans which are being deducted but they ,farmers never took the money.
They demanded refund of the money deducted from farmers who are not members of noco-sacco and to give out statements of account before effecting any payments.
There were also complain of senting cheques to outreach offices without a payroll and management of refusing to explain how farmers were getting negative pay from their crop.
Mr. Akoyo has announced that the 12 regional managers have been given orders to screen farmers zone by zone hearing complains.
The MD said claims would be compared to the firms current records before payments are made to end bickering among famers. H e said they are through with the mop-up exercise to establish who is exactly owed by the company and the list of genuine casesv released to mthe public.
The company board of directors chairman Mr. Burudi Nabwera has on his part said that those claiming to have been skipped are the ghost famers who should be arrested.
Mr.Nabwera mantains that no genuine cane famer could deliver the crop and fail to appear anywhere in the company records and said investigations were still going on .
But the director of Kenya sugar board representing the Nzoia zone, Mr.Saulo Busolo accuses both the management and the companys board of directors of protecting corrupt employees.
Mr.Busolo mantains that the issue of ghost famers was created by the management to confuse farmers on payments.
He insists that the management knows the people behind missing records but does not want to punish them because of vested interests.
He says both the board and management uses missing file problem to hide their failures as it has taken too long to clear shs.300m .
the end.
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