By Dawan Africa - Admin
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Kenya, 25 October 2026 - Principal Secretary for Interior Raymond Omollo has challenged sugarcane farmers in South Nyanza to back President William Ruto for a second term, arguing that falling production costs and reforms in the troubled sugar industry offer evidence of a government beginning to address their longstanding grievances.
Addressing farmers in Ndhiwa, Omollo framed the administration’s agricultural interventions as an economic bargain with political consequences: growers benefiting from cheaper inputs, more regular payments and the prospect of bonuses should reward the President at the ballot box in 2027.
At the centre of his pitch is the subsidised fertiliser programme, which he said had helped farmers in the region save up to KSh 700 million.
The price of a bag has fallen from approximately KSh 7,500 icn 2022 to KSh 2,000, a reduction of KSh 5,500 that can significantly ease the cost of cultivating sugarcane and other crops.
“Omollo said the subsidised fertiliser programme was helping sugarcane farmers cut production costs, with the price of a 50kg bag falling from KSh 7,500 in 2022 to KSh 2,000. This is good news to our farmers not only cane farmers, alone as we have computed their gains, but maize farmers too.’’
The reduction has saved growers KSh5,500 per bag, although the collective savings among Ndhiwa’s 700 registered and confirmed farmers depend on their cumulative purchases since the programme began. More farmers are still being registered under the subsidy programme.”
For 700 farmers to save KSh 700 million, each is reported to have bought approximately 182 bags at the subsidised price instead of the previous price, assuming the full KSh 5,500 saving per bag over the last four years since the prices of fertilisers were cut down by President Ruto administration.
That is about 9.1 tonnes of fertiliser per farmer, according to an analysis by the PS and are agricultural experts based on registered farmers.
For farmers operating on tight margins, lower input costs can mean more money available for labour, land preparation and farm maintenance. But the political significance of the subsidy lies in whether those savings translate into sustained increases in household incomes.
Omollo’s message mirrors President Ruto’s address during this year’s Mashujaa Day celebrations in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, where the President highlighted agricultural reforms as evidence of progress towards lower production costs and stronger food security.
Ruto said 8.9 million farmers had registered for subsidised fertiliser and that more than 38 million bags had been distributed. He also cited a decline in maize imports from 9.9 million bags to 3.3 million bags, presenting the figures as evidence of improving domestic production.
The figures strengthen the government’s case that reducing farm-input costs can improve productivity and reduce dependence on imported food. Sustaining those gains, however, will depend on weather conditions, market prices, distribution efficiency and farmers’ ability to earn a reasonable return from their harvests.
For South Nyanza, the more immediate concern is the recovery of an industry that has endured years of financial distress, delayed payments and struggling factories.
Omollo credited Ruto with taking steps to address the sugar sector’s historical debts and changing the management of state-owned mills through leasing arrangements intended to improve efficiency and commercial performance.
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The government has pursued the write-off of approximately KSh117 billion in sugar-sector debts, alongside plans to bring private-sector management into four state-owned factories: Nzoia, Chemelil, SoNy and Muhoroni.
For growers, these interventions matter only if they produce functioning factories, dependable cane collection and prompt payment after deliveries. Omollo said farmers were now receiving their money more regularly, presenting the changes as a reason for renewed confidence in the industry.
He also raised expectations of bonuses for South Nyanza growers, pointing to payments made to farmers supplying Mumias Sugar Factory. Such rewards would provide an additional financial incentive, although the timing and scale of any bonuses for local growers remain to be established.
The wider agricultural argument extends to coffee, where Ruto has cited an increase in cherry prices from KSh 70 to KSh 150 per kilogramme, as well as efforts to improve returns in the tea sector. The administration is using these developments to demonstrate that its policies can reach farmers across different regions and value chains.
Yet the sugar industry’s history makes caution necessary. Debt relief can remove a major financial burden, but it cannot by itself guarantee sustainable production, competitive factories or reliable earnings. Those outcomes require sound management, transparent weighing and payment systems, and continued investment.
The government has also turned to workers’ arrears. Kenya Sugar Board chief executive Jude Chesire said KSh 1 billion had been provided towards outstanding obligations, with the remaining balance estimated at no more than KSh 400 million expected to be cleared before the end of the year.
For workers and growers, delivery on these commitments will be a more tangible measure of reform than political assurances.
Omollo, however, wants the emerging gains to count politically. He argued that Ruto was committed to equitable distribution of resources across regions and sectors, urging sugarcane farmers to reciprocate the government’s efforts in 2027.
His intervention exposes the administration’s broader challenge in the sugar belt: converting policy announcements and financial restructuring into improvements that farmers can see in their pockets.
For growers, the decisive questions are whether fertiliser remains affordable, mills pay promptly and promised bonuses materialise. For Ruto, the political test is whether farmers regard those changes as sufficient reason to renew his mandate.
In Ndhiwa, Omollo has made the case. The ballot will ultimately test whether the economic argument resonates with the growers whose support he is seeking.