The Board of Directors of South Nyanza (Sony) sugar company has formally introduced Martin Dima as the new substantive Managing Director after a lawsuit challenging his appointment was nullified.
Martin was appointed in December 2023 after he emerged top out of 14 shortlisted candidates. However, his appointment was challenged by Bernard Ouma, a petitioner who questioned the Board’s recruitment process, but the court annulled the suit, citing its lack of merit.
Speaking to the press during a handing-over ceremony at the company, Jared Kopiyo, the Sony Sugar Company Board Chairman, highlighted the company’s milestone in appointing a Managing Director.
“Sony Sugar Company has not had a substantive Managing Director for close to eight years. This has greatly compromised the performance of the company because there are decisions that acting MD cannot make,” he said.
According to the chairman, the presence of a Managing Director will enable a spurt of growth at the company by giving work morale to the junior staff and giving confidence to the farmers.
He alluded that the company has had low productivity in the past because farmers were hesitant to supply them with sugarcane due to payment arrears.
Additionally, he thanked the farmers for their continued support and assured them that they will ensure payments are made within a fortnight or week, different from the usual sum-up pay for three months.
“As of now, the payment interval is slow, ranging from two to three months, but we will ensure all farmers are paid within a fortnight or even a week.”
The board chair also extended his gratitude to the acting Managing Director, Mr. Oluoch for keeping the company afloat during challenging times.
Martin Dima, the new MD expressed his hope for the future of the company, highlighting that his goal was to take the company forward and improve the performance levels.
He echoed the board chair’s sentiment of having farmers paid their dues after a fortnight as a way of reducing the sugar farmers’ poaching by other companies.
“Going forward we should be able to have a shorter payment period and cycle and be inclusive and open to farmers,” he said.
Jared Odhiambo, the secretary of Sony sugar company worker’s union hoped that the move will also prioritize the workers by absorbing them on a permanent basis.
“I hope that the workers are prioritized in terms of payment and safety. We have temporary workers who have worked for over 15 years without
any confirmation,” he said.
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