FARMERS IN AWENDO NOT HAPPY WITH FREQUENT CHANGES IN TOP MANAGEMNT OF SONY SUGAR

01/23/2007
GRANTS ARCHIVES AGAJA KUYO BARUPE WECHE DONGRUOK MBAKA NONRO JEXJALUO NGECHE LUO GI GWENG' THUM TEDO LUO KITGI GI TIMBEGI SIGENDNI LUO THUOND WECHE ;	FARMERS IN AWENDO NOT HAPPY WITH FREQUENT CHANGES IN TOP MANAGEMNT OF SONY SUGAR By Arrum Tidi Frequent and irregular changes by the government in the top management of the wholly government owned Sony Sugar Company is the contributing factor which is destabilizing the multibillion white sugar manufacturing firm based in Awendo in Migori district. In the past 15 months, the Ministry of Agriculture has effected uncalled for, too abrupt changes in the position of the managing director in total disregard of the significant program and improvement in the company's performance. The latest changes in which the new experienced acting MD Mr.Benard Otieno was all of sudden replaced by inexperienced Mr.Kenneth Ayuko, a former director in the Ministry is seen by the cane farmers as having malice and ulterior motives. Such changes always open the gates for massive looting of the company resources by staff and employees working under the new but inexperienced managing director. "Unpatriotic staff and workers normally take advantage of newly brought in MD to vandalize the resources of the company with impunity" said one local cane farmer who wished to conceal his identity for possible reprisal. The stakeholders have also questioned the rationale of the impending retrenchment which was announced last week by the new acting MD, Mr Kenneth Ayuko, who has explained that Sony was seriously considering the possibility of retrenching some of its workers in order to remain afloat and that the firm would especially retreanch the workers who do not perform. The new MD has told the staff during a meeting at the company offices that the impending retrenchment would be designed to cut on ballooning expenditures on salaries and would be put to motion in 12 months time The new MD was quoted as saying that the firm wages bills exceeded its revenue base "there is no reason why we can than the revenue base and expect to realize profit. The new MD was further quoted by a section of the media houses as saying that the Sony sugar company has a total labour force of 1080 permanent employees and over 200 casual workers adding that workers who had less than five years to retirement should begin to think of life beyond the company Source in Awendo have confided to us that panic has since gripped the employees following the new MD's announcement, something which could boomerang as it could kill the morale of the workers and thereby impact negatively on the performance of the company. The farmers in Awendo cane growing zones, which cover much wider areas like Gucha, Kuria, Transamara, Homa-Bay and Migori districts have told the new MD to embark on the plans initiated by his predecessors of expanding the factory's cane crushing capacity from 3000 TCD (tones of canes) to 6500 TCD. This should be the company's top most priority. If this was achieved within the shortest period of time, then the 1200 million mature canes currently rotting in the farm would be a thing of the past. Sony in the past has experienced acute shortage of mature cane due to its inability to crush all the cane from its 25,000 or so contracted cane farmers in five administrative districts. It has almost similar number of non-contracted farmers in its zone and the company is currently experiencing shortage of contracted contractors for transporting cane from the harvesting fields "Those are some of the issues that the company should consider as its top priority and not retrenchment", said one farmer in Rongo, Mr.B.C Okoth. He added that the farmers have read malice and mischief in the recent removal of the acting MD, Mr. Benard Otieno, who they felt was the right person to turn the sugar company to profit making, owing to his wide experience .He had served as the factory manager and he is a person who understands the operations of the company system well. The farmers claimed that Mr.Otieno's only mistake is that he had initiated drastic changes and then through investigations discovered well organized theft of Sony sugar company-made sugar worth million of shillings. Someone from the Ministry of Agriculture, especially a former civil servant like Mr.Ayuko, might not succeed in routing the well entrenched thieving managers", complained another farmer in Uriri Division, Mr. Siogalo. ===================================================== Joluo.com Ka in gi mari moro ma di wandik ka to orni Akelo nyar Kager, jaluo@jaluo.com Daher winjo dwondi in bende, iwinjo?	IDWARO TICH? INJILI GOSPEL GALAMORO : Riwruok mar JOLUO e Piny Ngima, orwaku uduto mondo ubed e kanyakla mar burani. Ornwa nyingi gi nondi kaka obedo. Riwruok e teko joka Nyanam. WENDO MIWA PARO OD PAKRUOK

FARMERS IN AWENDO NOT HAPPY WITH FREQUENT CHANGES IN TOP MANAGEMNT OF SONY SUGAR

By Arrum Tidi

Frequent and irregular changes by the government in the top management of the wholly government owned Sony Sugar Company is the contributing factor which is destabilizing the multibillion white sugar manufacturing firm based in Awendo in Migori district.

In the past 15 months, the Ministry of Agriculture has effected uncalled for, too abrupt changes in the position of the managing director in total disregard of the significant program and improvement in the company's performance.

The latest changes in which the new experienced acting MD Mr.Benard Otieno was all of sudden replaced by inexperienced Mr.Kenneth Ayuko, a former director in the Ministry is seen by the cane farmers as having malice and ulterior motives.

Such changes always open the gates for massive looting of the company resources by staff and employees working under the new but inexperienced managing director. "Unpatriotic staff and workers normally take advantage of newly brought in MD to vandalize the resources of the company with impunity" said one local cane farmer who wished to conceal his identity for possible reprisal.

The stakeholders have also questioned the rationale of the impending retrenchment which was announced last week by the new acting MD, Mr Kenneth Ayuko, who has explained that Sony was seriously considering the possibility of retrenching some of its workers in order to remain afloat and that the firm would especially retreanch the workers who do not perform.

The new MD has told the staff during a meeting at the company offices that the impending retrenchment would be designed to cut on ballooning expenditures on salaries and would be put to motion in 12 months time

The new MD was quoted as saying that the firm wages bills exceeded its revenue base "there is no reason why we can than the revenue base and expect to realize profit.

The new MD was further quoted by a section of the media houses as saying that the Sony sugar company has a total labour force of 1080 permanent employees and over 200 casual workers adding that workers who had less than five years to retirement should begin to think of life beyond the company

Source in Awendo have confided to us that panic has since gripped the employees following the new MD's announcement, something which could boomerang as it could kill the morale of the workers and thereby impact negatively on the performance of the company.

The farmers in Awendo cane growing zones, which cover much wider areas like Gucha, Kuria, Transamara, Homa-Bay and Migori districts have told the new MD to embark on the plans initiated by his predecessors of expanding the factory's cane crushing capacity from 3000 TCD (tones of canes) to 6500 TCD. This should be the company's top most priority. If this was achieved within the shortest period of time, then the 1200 million mature canes currently rotting in the farm would be a thing of the past.

Sony in the past has experienced acute shortage of mature cane due to its inability to crush all the cane from its 25,000 or so contracted cane farmers in five administrative districts.

It has almost similar number of non-contracted farmers in its zone and the company is currently experiencing shortage of contracted contractors for transporting cane from the harvesting fields

"Those are some of the issues that the company should consider as its top priority and not retrenchment", said one farmer in Rongo, Mr.B.C Okoth.

He added that the farmers have read malice and mischief in the recent removal of the acting MD, Mr. Benard Otieno, who they felt was the right person to turn the sugar company to profit making, owing to his wide experience .He had served as the factory manager and he is a person who understands the operations of the company system well.

The farmers claimed that Mr.Otieno's only mistake is that he had initiated drastic changes and then through investigations discovered well organized theft of Sony sugar company-made sugar worth million of shillings.

Someone from the Ministry of Agriculture, especially a former civil servant like Mr.Ayuko, might not succeed in routing the well entrenched thieving managers", complained another farmer in Uriri Division, Mr. Siogalo.