Sugarcane/file
Sugar milling in the Lower and Upper Western sugar belt has been temporarily suspended for three months beginning July 14, the Kenya Sugar Board has announced.
KSB acting chief executive officer Jude Chesire, in the communication dated July 8, cited “acute shortage of mature sugar cane” as the reason for the closure.
The communication was addressed to the managing directors and general managers of West Kenya Sugar Company, Nzoia Sugar, Mumias Sugar (2021) Ltd, Butali Sugar and Busia Sugar Industries.
The move follows a series of stakeholder meetings, the most recent held at Sarova Imperial Hotel in Kisumu on July 8, where industry players acknowledged that immature cane was increasingly being harvested, resulting in poor yields and financial losses to farmers.
“This shortage has led to the harvesting and milling of immature cane, which in turn has caused low sugar yields and economic distress to sugar cane farmers,” Chesire said in the notice.
To reverse this, he said it was resolved that a temporary halt of milling operations is necessary to allow the cane to mature.
During the three-month shutdown period, the Kenya Sugar Board will conduct a cane availability survey within two months to assess and align factory milling capacities with actual cane supply in each region.
The survey will guide decisions regarding the resumption of milling operations.
“All millers should aggressively embark on cane development to ensure a sustainable supply of raw material going forward,” Chesire said.
The decision is expected to significantly impact farmers, factory workers and the local economies that depend on sugar milling.
However, stakeholders argue the long-term benefits of waiting for cane maturity outweigh the short-term disruptions, especially given the current low returns to farmers from immature cane.
The affected sugar companies include West Kenya Sugar Company Ltd (including its Olepito and Naitiri units), Nzoia Sugar Company (2025) Ltd, Butali Sugar Mills Ltd, Mumias Sugar (2021) Ltd, and Busia Sugar Industry Ltd.
The Kenya Sugar Board has urged cooperation from all stakeholders during the temporary shutdown and called for renewed focus on boosting cane development programmes in the region.
Copies of the directive have been shared with Agriculture CS Mutahi Kagwe, PS Kipronoh Ronoh, and the chairperson of the Kenya Sugar Board for further coordination.
INSTANT ANALYSIS
The Kenya Sugar Board’s decision to suspend milling operations in Western Kenya highlights a growing crisis in cane development. With factories forced to mill immature cane, farmers have been facing reduced yields and income losses. The three-month shutdown, effective July 14, aims to allow the crop to mature, offering a chance to reset the sector. However, the temporary closure will hit farmers and factory workers hard. The planned cane availability survey could help align capacity with supply going forward. This move underlines the urgent need for long-term investment in cane farming to prevent future disruptions.
