Tanzania faces an acute shortage of sugar

More than 2,200 bags of sugar which were being smuggled into neighbouring Kenya through Rombo, Himo and Moshi rural districts, have been impounded, Kilimanjaro Regional Commissioner Leonidas Gama disclosed yesterday. Addressing civil servants in Hai township, during a day-long visit of the district to introduce himself, Gama said the sugar was now being sold in the region. The new RC who also met with district security and defense committee and councilors and inspected development projects said owners of the impounded vehicles and drivers were yet to come forward. The RC said if owners produced adequate documentary evidence as to the destination of the sugar, they would be given the money after sale of the commodity. “Otherwise the money will be directed into construction of secondary schools,” he charged Gama said it was common to see between 20 to 30 trucks parked at Himo town claiming to be shipping sugar to Rombo district, but after nightfall the traders transported it to neighbouring Kenya where currently a kilo of sugar sells for nearly 5,000/-. “When I asked the police why they were not seizing the vehicles and arresting the drivers, they replied that it was normally difficult to tell whether the destination of the consignment was within or outside the country,” he said. He alleged that owners of the consignment normally boarded smaller vehicles and dished out bribes to the police and Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) officials to let the goods be shipped to Kenya.