Sugar import freeze lifts hope for Lugari cane farmers after Kagwe order
Key points
- CS Mutahi Kagwe directed Kenya Sugar Board to stop issuing new sugar-import licences.
- Government says Kenya has, for the first time, produced enough sugar for domestic demand.
- Lugari farmers say cheap imports undercut millers, hurting cane prices and payment timing.
- Long-term state goal: move from importer to net exporter via higher local output and efficiency.
For cane growers who watched warehouses fill with foreign sugar while their stalks waited, an import freeze is more than a press quote. Agriculture and Livestock Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe last week told the Kenya Sugar Board to stop new import licences, saying domestic production can now cover national needs, KBC reported.
Kagwe framed the move as protection for farmers and millers and said the long game is turning Kenya into a net sugar exporter through higher output and industry efficiency. In Lugari, grower Maindi said cheap imports leave local sugar struggling to sell, so millers cannot pay farmers or keep factories healthy: “When cheap imported sugar enters the market, locally produced sugar struggles to compete.” Farmer Juliet Achievi, a mother of three, said costs, delayed payments and market uncertainty made cane less attractive and wants a stable mill market so harvests are bought and paid on time. Growers hope reforms restore confidence for transporters, traders and factory workers tied to the cane belt.
A licence freeze is not a payment guarantee
If mills stay inefficient or political import waivers sneak back, farmers will still wait for cheques. Enforcement at the border and transparent miller cash-flow matter more than the ban headline.
Agriculture desk: Agriculture. Verified Kagwe directive and farmer voices from KBC.
Kenya Sugar Board should publish weekly import-licence and stock dashboards. County cane committees should track days-to-payment after the freeze.
Without that, “first time self-sufficient” will sour into another cycle of glut talk and empty pockets.
Millers should also publish 2026 cane payment averages in days so the import freeze can be judged by farm cash, not factory speeches.
Official gazettes, court rulings and agency circulars may update these facts after publication; readers should verify any deadline, fee or court date against primary sources before acting.
Based on KBC reporting of the CS directive and farmer reactions. Market balances can shift with weather and illicit imports.
