Sugar millers have been given seven days to pay sugarcane farmers after delivery or face penalties, including interest on delayed payments, as the Kenya Sugar Board (KSB) steps up efforts to protect growers from exploitation.
KSB Chief Executive Officer Jude Chesire said the regulator is enforcing contractual provisions requiring millers to settle farmers within the stipulated seven-day period. The move is aimed at ending prolonged payment delays that have affected growers’ incomes and livelihoods.
The Board is also cracking down on weighbridge fraud, with some farmers reportedly losing up to three tonnes of cane per trailer due to inaccurate or manipulated weighing.
To address the problem, KSB is procuring mobile weighbridges to independently verify cane weights and strengthen oversight across the industry.
The Government has also invested in cane-testing units as Kenya moves towards a payment system based on cane quality and sugar content rather than weight alone.
Millers have additionally been directed to establish clear cane harvesting frameworks by September 10 to improve harvesting, transportation and delivery and prevent mature cane from deteriorating in farms.
The measures come as Kenya’s sugar production continues to recover. Domestic production reached 815,454 metric tonnes (MT) in 2024, while 2025 production stood at 611,576 MT. Between January and July 2026, the country produced 528,875 MT, including a record 91,022 MT in July.
Despite the recovery, Kenya still faces a substantial sugar deficit, with annual demand estimated at 1.2 million MT. The country imported 477,551 MT of sugar in 2025 and 65,081 MT of brown sugar between January and July 2026.
KSB estimates Kenya spends about KSh30 billion annually importing white refined sugar. The Government is therefore promoting local refining, increased cane acreage, improved productivity and milling efficiency to reduce reliance on imports and retain more value within the economy.
