Ten senior government officials have been arrested following days of uncertainty over the safety of sugar being imported into the country. Among them is the head of the national consumer protection agency.
The arrests come a day after two senior ministers contradicted each other on whether impounded sacks of sugar brought into the country from Brazil contained mercury.
The sugar was confiscated by the interior minister, claiming that the sugar contained mercury and copper deposits. This was contradicted by the trade minister who said the sugar is safe.
Over the last few days, the country has witnessed an unprecedented crackdown on sugar imports. Dozens of traders have been arrested.
The Director for Kenya Bureau appeared before a parliamentary committee yesterday where he said some of the sugar was found to have contained lead and copper, and not mercury.
In some parts of the country, the price of sugar has risen following the crackdown on sugar imports.
