Sugar millers have been given seven days to pay sugarcane farmers after receiving their produce, with delayed payments set to attract interest as the Kenya Sugar Board (KSB) steps up measures to protect growers from losses and exploitation.
KSB Chief Executive Officer Jude Chesire said contracts between farmers and millers provide for sanctions against companies that fail to meet the seven-day payment period, ending prolonged delays that have left growers waiting for money after delivering their cane.
“The days when farmers waited indefinitely for payment after delivering cane must come to an end,” Chesire said.
The board is also targeting weighbridge malpractices that have been cutting into farmers’ earnings. Chesire said some growers lose up to three tonnes of cane per trailer through irregularities at weighbridges, meaning farmers are paid for less cane despite having harvested and transported it to millers.
To address the problem, KSB is procuring mobile weighbridges to independently verify cane weights and strengthen monitoring across the sugar industry. The Government is also investing in cane-testing units as the sector moves towards a payment system that considers cane quality and sugar content rather than weight alone.
“KSB is procuring mobile weighbridges to independently verify cane weights and strengthen enforcement. The Government has also invested in cane-testing units as the industry moves towards a payment system that considers quality and sugar content rather than relying solely on weight,” said Chesire.
Millers have also been directed to establish clear cane-harvesting frameworks by September 10, 2026, to improve the coordination of harvesting, transportation and delivery and reduce delays that can leave mature cane deteriorating in farmers’ fields.
The measures come as Kenya’s sugar production continues to recover. The country produced 815,454 metric tonnes (MT) in 2024, 611,576 MT in 2025 and 528,875 MT between January and July 2026. Monthly output reached a record 91,022 MT in July, up from 89,709 MT in June.
Despite the recovery, Kenya still faces a significant supply gap. Annual demand is estimated at about 1.2 million MT, while consumption reached approximately 1.216 million MT in 2025. Kenya imported 477,551 MT of sugar in 2025 and another 65,081 MT of brown sugar between January and July 2026.
White refined sugar remains a major concern, with the country spending about KSh30 billion annually on imports. Kenya has begun refining imported raw sugar locally, with Mombasa Sugar Refinery Limited, which has an installed capacity of about 150,000 MT annually, having imported 27,839 MT of raw sugar and started local refining.
The Government’s longer-term plan is to increase cane acreage and productivity, improve milling efficiency, promote value addition and expand domestic refining capacity to reduce reliance on imports and improve returns for farmers.
