BY LUKE KAPCHANGA DN/WEBUYE NZOIA18/3/2005.
The Nzoia sugar company board of directors yesterday resolved to have the factory re-opened as they seek a solution to end the crisis of striking workers.
But the workers maintained that the factory will only started crushing when their demands are fulfilled with the removal of the managing director and the human resources manager.
The board meeting chaired by Mr Burudi Nabwera was  unanimous that harvested cane lying on the fields was rotting with the abrupt closure of the factory and its the farmers who are to lose.
The meeting admonished the district commisioner Mr Joseph Irungu for over-reacting to order the closure of the mill without considering the implication as harvested cane was in the yard a and could go to waste.
The board also accused the DC for siding with the MD  and failed to give the striking workers and address thier complains.
They blamed the management of the company for underming union representatives and taking their demands carelessly which has caused the company to lose immature cane through fires.
The factory was closed on Tuesday on the orders of Mr Irungu as demostrating employees called for the sacking of the MD Mr Josphat Akoyo ang HRM Mr Joseph Nganga.
Mrs Roselinda Simiyu the chairperson of Kenya Union of Sugar Plantation Workers said that the protesting employees were not going to disrupt production.
She said the decision to close down the factory was improper because there is cane on the groud and only two people should not make the mill not to run.
Sugarcane farmers contracted to Nzoia sugar company have joined the striking workers and demanding for compesation of thier harvested crop which could go to waste with the closure of the factory.
The national chairman of the Kenya national sugarcane growers union, Mr Nato Muleme said that 70,000 tonnes of harvested cane was lying in the fields when the Bungoma district commisioner ordered for the closure of the factory on Tuesday.
Mr Muleme speaking at Bukembe market, accused the DC, Mr Joseph Irungu for being misled by management of the company to close the factory to punish farmers.
Mr Muleme who was accompanied by the unions organising secretary, Mr Stephen Walubi complained that farmers were not party to the crisis at the factory and should be compesated if the cane dries up on farms.
The officials supported the demands of workers to have the managing director Mr Josphat Akoyo sacked for incompetence and harrasing of stakeholders in the sugar industry.
They said that farmers were the first to reject Mr Akoyo s appointment and are determined not to work with him.
He claimed cane farming is on the decrease due to poor incentives from the management and refusal to supply fertilizers as it has been the practice.
Last year Mr Nato kicked off a storm with the Nzoia management for demanding payment of shs.415,878,488. accrued interest for cane delivered from 1999-2003.
In a letter to the minister of agriculture Mr. Kipruto Kirwa,the union official claimed the interest was realised after the government waived the interest rates from sugar development fund(SDF),and also lowered interest on loans from 10%-5% last year.
Mr Muleme accused the management at Nzoia for charging interest on payments to farmers against the directives of the government.
The letter dated 17/11/2004 stated that farmers who benefited from shs.300million released by the government in May to clear the outstanding debt were deducted interest on land preparation, seedcane,harvesting and fertilizers yet this was money from SDF,
The chairman said then that the accrued amount covered the period between 1999-M ay 2003 as the management had flouted the guideline spelled out making farmers to continue suffering.
Yesterday he said the issue of contracting cane cutters has exposed that farmers were deducted more that the company paid the cutters.
He said farmers are deducted shs246.60 as harvesting charges yet cutters are paid shs94 which they want to reduce more.