The shutdown of sugar companies in Western and Nyanza regions due to cane shortage has contributed to the soaring prices of sugar in the country.
Speaking to the press, Bungoma-based human rights activist Philip Wanyonyi attributed the sugar crisis in Kenya to vested political interests in the appointment of managers of milling firms, saying this has led to lack of professionalism and accountability in management boards.
Wanyonyi added that the importation of illegal sugar into the country by cartels has also contributed to the decline of the sugar sector.
He said corruption and mismanagement in the sugar firms were yet another problem, saying the issues ranged from flawed tendering systems to the issuance of licences.
Wanyonyi stated that unless and until corruption and mismanagement are tackled at all levels, the sugar industry in Western Kenya will continue to decline.
His counterpart, Emmanuel Were, argued that the significant decline in cane production, especially at the Nzoia Sugar Company, was due to delayed payments to farmers.
Were encouraged the farmers to switch to other cash crops like coffee, guavas, groundnuts and cassava rather than solely relying on sugarcane.
He asked Western Kenyan political leaders to shun politics and put in place measures to ensure Nzoia and Mumias Sugar factories are operational.
In order to increase the productivity capacity, he asked government to provide new machines to the state-owned sugar institutions.
On August 2, 2023, President William Ruto said the government had issued licences for traders to import sugar from outside the common market for Eastern and Southern Africa after stocks of the product ran out in the region.
President Ruto assured Kenyans that the move would bring down sugar prices within one or two weeks.
However, Wanyonyi and Were are now calling upon the government to allow millers to be part of the importation programme in the Country so as to forestall the laying off of workers.
Were asked the government to install new modern mills at Nzoia and Mumias Sugar factories as part of the measures to revive the ailing companies, stabilise their operations and improve their crushing capacity.
Western Kenya is the largest producer of sugar in Kenya, supporting about 170,000 smallholder farming households, where sugarcane takes 18 to 24 months to mature.
Almost 80 percent of sugar production in Kenya is from smallholder farms and in some areas, sugarcane covers three times more land than other crops.
The current suspension of cane crushing aims at allowing sugarcane to mature before enabling millers to resume normal operations.
By Roseland Lumwamu
