NAIROBI, Kenya – The Kenya Sugar Board (KSB) has announced a sweeping three-month shutdown of sugar milling operations across the Lower and Upper Western sugarcane zones, citing an acute shortage of mature cane.
In a statement released Tuesday, Acting CEO Jude Chesire said the decision follows consultations with key stakeholders and aims to prevent further financial losses to both farmers and millers resulting from the harvesting of immature sugarcane.
“This is due to inadequate cane development to match milling capacity,” Chesire said. “Farmers are incurring losses due to lower cane yields associated with immature cane harvesting.”
Affected Regions
The shutdown, set to begin on July 14, 2025, will affect major sugar-producing counties.
In the Lower Western region, operations will halt in:
- Mumias
- Busia
- Siaya
In the Upper Western catchment, milling will stop in:
- Bungoma
- Kakamega
- Trans-Nzoia
- Uasin Gishu
- Northern Nandi
These regions form the heart of Kenya’s sugar industry and the move is likely to temporarily disrupt production and local economies reliant on cane farming and processing.
Recovery Plan in Motion
The decision was reached during a stakeholder meeting held on July 4 at Sarova Imperial Hotel in Kisumu, where it was agreed that current mature cane levels are too low to sustain efficient milling.
To guide recovery, KSB will launch a Cane Availability Survey over the next two months.
The findings will help determine the appropriate milling capacity for each factory once operations resume.
“All millers should aggressively develop cane to ensure an adequate supply of raw material in future,” Chesire emphasized, urging factories to invest in long-term sustainability.
While the temporary closure is expected to affect local sugar output and the livelihoods of thousands of workers and farmers, the KSB maintains that it is a necessary corrective measure to safeguard the long-term viability of the sector.
Farmers and sugar millers have long warned of unsustainable harvesting practices due to declining cane acreage and poor crop planning.
