Pan Paper to re-open next week

Written by Rosemary Wachiye 2011-10-13 19:24:00 Read 647 Times

Workers walking into Pan Paper mills webuye, below the Pan Paper revival team leader Dr. Muliaro Wafula [Photo/Rosemary Wachiye]   Former Pan Paper Mills workers who lost their jobs after the collapse of the paper factory are now all smiles on learning that the factory is set to re-open from Monday next week.   The former workers are full of hope and optimism of retaining their former jobs after languishing in joblessness for years.   According to the Pan Paper revival team leader Dr. Muliaro Wafula Pan paper is set to re-open and start production on October 17, 2011 after one and half months of revival plans by his team.   Dr. Muliaro said that the management and technical team has been working to ensure that all the procurement processes are cleared and production of paper set to begin.   “We have received all the materials we need for paper production and through the government support we have purchased enough to see us through the production,” said Dr. Muliaro.   While addressing the former workers of the factory, Dr. Muliaro, assured them to resume work on Monday as the first machine will be opened on that day revealing that all the machines would be opened by November 1, 2011.   He also added that they have acquired enough wood from the factory’s forest and for now they have stored about 20,000 m3 of wood in the factory and have a contract of receiving another 300,000 m3 as they continue operations.   “The wood we have is more than sufficient to ensure the factory runs for a whole year, as the factory crushes only 750 m3 a day, Pan Paper has been on contract with Timboroa forest, Kiptagat and Mt.Elgon where it provides seedlings for them and they sell back the mature trees at subsidized price,” said Dr. Muliaro.   The transportation of the wood to the factory he said will start immediately as they have already cleared with the transporters, assuring the workers that soon there will be continuous flow of wood to the factory ensuring that as the factory re-opens it will run without interference.   “Everything is set all we need from you workers is maximum cooperation, respect and discipline, with that the factory will run well without any problems, we also call upon any one with good ideas that will help us improve to feel free to do so,” said Dr. Muliaro.   However he stated that Pan Paper Mills is still under receivership, and the government through the Ministry of Industrialization has been holding talks with the short term and the long term lenders and agreed that the factory begins working through which they will be able to pay back the debt owed to them by the former owners of the factory.   One of the former workers of Pan Paper Mr. Joseck Wafula on behalf of the other workers expressed his gratitude to the efforts put towards the revival of the Paper factory under the new management and the government’s concern and funding towards its revival.   “We are more than glad towards this good news, it is the best news we have heard for a long time now and we hope that this time round it is not just going to be the normal singsongs that we have been hearing from politicians that it will be opened but even before we resume duties, it closes down,” said Mr. Wafula.   “As workers we have suffered enough since its closure and we want to believe that this is now the ultimate answer to our prayers and the end of our pain, stress following the lack of income,” said Mr. Wafula.