MP Kitur: Sweet-drinks company wanted to bribe me to stay quiet

Earlier this year, as parliament was developing the finance bill 2025/2026, Hon. Bernard Kitur, MP for Nandi Hills, gave a presentation to the finance committee in parliament on the need to regulate the processed foods industry in Kenya.

Kitur’s proposition was that it is important that Kenya considers finding ways – even if it is by way of legislation – to control the amount of junk food Kenyans are consuming, as the food is “destroying Kenyans’ health and is contributing to rising cases of non-communicable diseases,” Kitur says.

Within an hour of his presentation, ‘visitors’ from a ‘big’ beverage company known for its sweet-drink-products arrived in parliament ‘to talk’ with him.

“It was being broadcasted live. I think they saw me make the presentation. Before I could finish my presentation, I was informed of their arrival.

“They said they wanted us to have a discussion. They wanted to dissuade me from taking that direction because they suspect that my proposals will drastically reduce their sales. For me, it was about saving Kenyan lives.

“Between you and me, you know what the conversation was all about,” he told this journalist.

Kitur was a key convener on Friday at a high profile meeting by Africa Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) and the National Assembly, in Nairobi, where conversations towards development of a harmonized framework to support disclosure of sugar, salt and fat content of food products in Kenya, were broached.

Kitur says: “It has been shocking to see the statistics: people below 40 years are dying because of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). These are diseases caused by food. We are seeing high cases of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, amongst many other diseases.”

Presenting at the meeting, Dr Gershim Asiki, Head of Chronic Disease Management Unit at APHRC, said: “Diet is a leading risk factor for NCD related deaths. In Kenya, deaths attributed to NCDs have increased from 52 per cent in 2023 to 62 per cent in 2024.”

Dr Shukri Mohamed, also from APHRC, called for changes in policies that regulate junk food industry: among them front-of-pack labelling, restriction of marketing targeting children, strict procurement of healthy food instead of junk, and implementing levies and taxes on products thereby making them too expensive for people to purchase and consume frequently.

Other than Kitur, other MPs attended the meeting. They include George Sunkuiya (Kajido West), Dorice Aburi (Kisii), Josses Lelmengit (Emgwen), Pauline Lenguris (Samburu), Jullius Kiptoo (Kesses), Mohamed Abdi (Lafey), Shakil Shabir (Kisumu Town East), Titus Lotee (Kacheliba), Timothy Toroitich (Marakwet West), Dr James Nyikal (Seme), Millie Odhiambo (Suba North), Titus Khamala (Lurambi), Irene Mayaka (nominated), Jerusha Momanyi (Nyamira) and Caroli Omondi (Suba South).

All the members of parliament voiced their support for MP Kitur in his fight against junk food.

“Our health is a product of where we live, what we eat, and what we do. These are the causes behind the causes of disease.

“For instance, we think of cholera as a disease caused by germs. But really, the main cause is access to [clean] water. In the same manner, we think of diabetes as a disease caused by lack of insulin. However, if you look at the disease critically, it is brought about by what you eat.

“We must look at food critically. If we improved food quality and availability, then improved availability and access to clean water, we could cut disease burden in this country by half.

“I tell people there is no bigger medicine than food,” Dr Nyikal, who is a medical doctor by training, and the current chair of the Chairperson of the National Assembly's Departmental Committee on Health.

Hon. Lenguris said: “It is true that we are witnessing a very high disease burden in our communities. Even I am not sure if what I am eating is healthy. I am not sure that what I have in my fridge back home is healthy. It is a big problem and we [MPs] must do something about it.”

Hon. Momanyi said: “I have been quite observant recently when I meet people. The kind of food and drinks people are eating – especially the younger generation – are so sugary. We have a problem. We need to sort it out. This process that has started [to address proliferation of junk food] is one that I will be part of and I will support.”

We could not establish when exactly Kitur became health conscious but he told The Standard that in his household he is the health sheriff. Being a father, he says, is part of the motivation that has led him to take up the healthy food agenda in parliament.

“At home I remind my children to not overindulge the soft drinks, carbonated drinks. I tell them to reduce them. Because I am thinking about their future; how it could be challenging.”

Kitur also talked about a nephew who “is hardly 22 years old and has been diagnosed with hypertension”, and is obese, amid other serious health challenges.

The MP vowed to continue push towards solutions against junk food even if his life will be threatened.

“I know many multi-billion dollar companies are going to fight this because they want to mess the lives of my generation and the generations to come.

“We need to manage them through legislation. We have various ways that we want to approach it. Number one, we legislate through the finance bill.

“Two, we do amendments to various acts of parliament. And three – and you've seen what all MPs and the experts that are here have suggested – is we draft a whole new bill.

“I want by the end of first quarter of next year, the bill will have been pre-published. By the time we are going to election [2027] we should already have a bill that is comprehensive.”

We now know that special-interest groups have access to our lawmakers. Only time will tell if Hon. Kitur will stick to his guns.

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