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Nairobi — National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula has thrown his weight behind sugarcane farmers opposing proposed amendments to the law governing the sugar sector, assuring them that Parliament will protect reforms aimed at empowering growers and reviving the industry. Meeting officials of the Kenya National Federation of Sugarcane Farmers (KNFSF), led by Chairman Ezra Okoth and Secretary General Kilion Osur at Parliament Buildings on Wednesday, the Speaker also challenged the federation to intensify its campaign against what he termed reckless sugar imports, warning that they threaten the gains made in reviving local sugar factories. The farmers' delegation petitioned Parliament to reject provisions in the Crops Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 arguing that the proposed changes would weaken farmer representation and deny growers control over institutions created to safeguard their interests. Osur said the federation's main concern was a proposal to replace elections of growers' directors with appointments. Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn "The Sugar Act is very clear that growers' directors should be elected by farmers. We cannot accept a system where they are appointed," he said, arguing that if appointments were considered appropriate, legislators should first amend the Constitution to allow Members of Parliament to be appointed rather than elected. He, however, disclosed that the matter had largely been overtaken by events after consultations with Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, during which both sides agreed that elections for growers' representatives to the Kenya Sugar Board would proceed. According to Osur, the election date is expected to be gazetted, with farmers agreeing to hold the polls on September 5, 2026 after allowing the statutory period for public notice and candidate vetting. He said the elections would finally put to rest claims that farmers were unable to elect their own representatives because of endless court cases. "The law requires elections, and that is what we are going to do. Once farmers elect their representatives, there will be no justification for changing the law to allow appointments," he said. Osur further alleged that repeated court cases delaying elections had been sponsored by vested commercial interests rather than ordinary farmers. "No genuine farmer can spend more than Sh100,000 pursuing court cases. Those cases have been driven by powerful investors with interests in the sector," he claimed. The federation also opposed another proposal in the Crops Laws (Amendment) Bill that seeks to transfer the Sugar Development Levy (SDL) to the Commodities Fund. Osur argued that sugarcane farming requires a dedicated financing mechanism because of the long crop maturity period of between 18 and 24 months. He said previous attempts to channel farmers through the Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) had failed because of strict lending conditions, including demands for title deeds and monthly loan repayments that do not match the sugarcane production cycle. "We want the levy to remain under the Sugar Development Levy account to finance sugar sector development directly. Taking the money to the Commodities Fund will only make it more difficult for farmers to access affordable financing," he said. Central Rift representative Lazarus Rono urged Parliament to shield the industry from cartels he said were attempting to reverse reforms introduced under the Sugar Act. He said the sugar sector remained attractive because of its profitability, making it vulnerable to vested interests seeking to control farmer institutions and resources. Rono also called for official recognition of the Kenya National Federation of Sugarcane Farmers as the umbrella body representing growers nationwide, saying multiple organisations claiming to speak for farmers had weakened unity in the sector. Responding to the concerns, Wetang'ula said the current Sugar Act