National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has given MPs 10 days to supply evidence showing the sugar in the market is safe for consumption.
Muturi told members of the joint committee on agriculture and trade that they want comprehensive information on the situation in the country, not just in some counties.
"We want to know if the sugar is safe, whether it is from the village ... address the issue of safety," he told the MPs on Thursday.
"Let members not taste the sugar with their tongues ...I know you have missed doing that. Question and test the veracity of the report you are given then give us the detailed report," he said.
Muturi took issue with how the committee chaired by Kieni MP Kanini Kega handled the probe, saying it allowed members to "hug, kiss and exchange pleasantries with the suspects", thereby missing the mark.
"You cannot transact parliamentary matters through hugging and kissing. You should have told members how the sugar was cleared, who the importers are, whether it was pre-inspected, how the packaging contained Kebs stickers and what the disposal plans are, if any," he said.
Related: We deserve to be called MPigs, Mbadi says after Duale raps MPs
A fierce debate erupted in Parliament in the afternoon after MPs differed on the progress report on the probe.
This was after Kega requested 14 days to conclude the report. He told the house that the numerous tests that were conducted did not find any traces of mercury and copper in impounded sugar. He said, however, that more tests were being conducted.
Kega explained that friends of the committee, who filled the meeting room and locked out members, presented a challenge.
His colleagues, however, insisted that he explain if the sugar contained the elements.
Majority Leader Aden Duale, standing on a point of order, accused the committee of wasting tax payers' money and coming up with a "shoddy report".
"What we wanted was a definite answer from the committee on whether sugar that is being consumed has mercury," he said. "This report is not conclusive."
"We owe the people of Kenya but we have left them in limbo. The sugar investment is now crumbling because Kenyans have resorted to avoiding the product due to health fears."
The Garissa Town MP termed the idea of more rests ridiculous.
"What we want is for this committee to tell this house the companies that are involved in this business, whether there was tax evasion and the amount [that was not paid]."
Minority Leader John Mbadi (Suba South) termed the report the "highest joke".
Mbadi maintained that the economic implications of the matter mean it should be taken seriously.
"This committee has let us down. We should not even take the recommendations. As a matter of fact, we should create an ad hoc committee to handle the report with seriousness," he said.
Kega maintained that the report was above board. He demanded an apology from Duale for trashing the report and told him to declare the vested interests he allegedly has in the sugar business.
More on this: Sugar firms deny wrongdoing, throw ball at Kebs
Also read: KPA, KRA struggle to explain how metals ended up in sugar
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