Kenya Parliament Rejects Sugar Sector Reforms Amendments

• The Crops Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 proposes changes that would weaken farmer representation and deny growers control over institutions created to safeguard their interests.
• Sugarcane farmers are opposing a proposal to replace elections of growers' directors with appointments, arguing that it would undermine the Sugar Act.
• The Kenya National Federation of Sugarcane Farmers (KNFSF) is pushing for the election date for growers' representatives to be officially set and held on September 5, 2026.

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.

The Kenya Sugar Board is on the verge of losing control over key institutions, as proposed amendments to the Crops Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 threaten to undermine farmer representation. The bill's provisions have sparked concerns among sugarcane farmers, who argue that they would weaken their ability to elect growers' directors and deny them control over institutions created to safeguard their interests. At the heart of the controversy is a proposal to replace elections with appointments, which has been met with fierce opposition from the Kenya National Federation of Sugarcane Farmers (KNFSF). The federation's Secretary General, Kilion Osur, has been vocal in his criticism of the proposed changes, arguing that they would undermine the Sugar Act and allow vested commercial interests to control farmer institutions. According to Osur, repeated court cases delaying elections have been sponsored by powerful investors with interests in the sector, rather than ordinary farmers.

The Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary, Mutahi Kagwe, has played a crucial role in shaping the sugar sector reforms. In recent consultations with the KNFSF, both sides agreed that elections for growers' representatives to the Kenya Sugar Board would proceed, despite initial concerns over the proposed amendments. The election date has been officially set, with farmers agreeing to hold the polls on September 5, 2026 after allowing the statutory period for public notice and candidate vetting. This development has been seen as a major victory for sugarcane farmers, who have long fought for greater control over their institutions and resources.

The proposed transfer of the Sugar Development Levy (SDL) to the Commodities Fund has been met with strong opposition from sugarcane farmers. The KNFSF argues that a dedicated financing mechanism is essential for sugarcane farming, given its long crop maturity period of between 18 and 24 months. Previous attempts to channel farmers through the Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) have failed due to strict lending conditions, including demands for title deeds and monthly loan repayments that do not match the sugarcane production cycle. The federation is pushing for the levy to remain under the Sugar Development Levy account to finance sugar sector development directly.

Lawyers should watch for the September 5, 2026 election date for growers' representatives to the Kenya Sugar Board, which may impact compliance with the Sugar Act and related regulations.

Source: Original reporting via Briefly