By Kepher Otieno - Reporter
Kenya , August 20 , 2026 - Kenya’s sugar industry is entering a decisive phase as thousands of growers prepare to elect their representatives to the Kenya Sugar Board, with the regulator promising a free, fair and transparent contest.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has published the voters’ register ahead of the 5 September 2026 election, giving registered sugarcane growers an opportunity to confirm their voting details before polling day.
Kenya Sugar Board chief executive officer Jude Chesire said the board was committed to ensuring that every eligible grower is able to exercise their democratic right without intimidation, manipulation or discrimination.
Chesire said the credibility of the election would be critical to restoring confidence among farmers, who remain at the heart of an industry struggling with production costs, factory efficiency, cane pricing and delayed payments.
“The process must be free and fair. Every registered grower must have an equal opportunity to participate and elect representatives of their choice,” Chesire said.
The publication of the register is intended to reduce confusion on polling day and allow farmers to identify their designated voting centres in advance.
Growers can verify their registration through the Mkulima OnBoard platform by entering their National ID number. The system provides the grower’s name, phone number, catchment area, ward and designated polling centre.
The register can also be searched geographically by county, sub-county, ward and polling centre.
For the sugar industry, the election carries more than political significance.
Grower representatives sit at the centre of decisions affecting one of Kenya’s most politically sensitive agricultural sectors.
Sugarcane farmers have for years complained about low returns, rising production costs, factory inefficiencies, delayed payments and management problems at some mills.
The new representatives will therefore inherit an industry under pressure to become more competitive while delivering better returns to growers.
The government has recently intensified efforts to reform the sugar sector, including tighter controls on imports, restructuring of sugar mills and measures aimed at improving cane production.
For farmers, however, the ultimate measure of reform is likely to be what reaches their pockets.
A transparent grower election is therefore being viewed as an important starting point.
Chesire said the electoral process would be handled in a manner that protects the integrity of the vote and gives growers confidence in the outcome.
More from Kenya
The publication of the register also allows farmers to identify and raise discrepancies before polling day.
Growers who find errors in their details can seek clarification through the relevant channels rather than discovering problems at the polling station.
The election comes at a time when the sugar industry is seeking to reposition itself as a commercially viable agricultural sector capable of supporting thousands of farming households and creating jobs across western Kenya and other sugar-growing regions.
The stakes are particularly high because the industry is not simply about sugar.
It is about household incomes, rural economies, transporters, mill workers, agro-dealers and entire communities whose livelihoods depend on cane farming.
A credible election could therefore give the Kenya Sugar Board stronger legitimacy as it tackles the sector’s structural problems.
But the responsibility will not end with polling.
The elected representatives will face pressure to demonstrate that they can turn farmers’ concerns into policy and hold millers and industry institutions accountable.
For now, the message from the board is straightforward: growers should verify their details, know where they are expected to vote and participate in the election.
The voter register is available through the Mkulima OnBoard grower register, where farmers can confirm their registration and polling centres.
The countdown to 5 September has begun.
For Kenya’s sugar farmers, it is more than an election.
It is an opportunity to choose the people who will speak for them in an industry where the difference between a good policy and a bad one can be measured directly in the income of a farming household.