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Kenya, November 13, 2026 - Sugarcane farmers will on November 24 elect five representatives to the Kenya Sugar Board, in an election that could influence how growers are paid, how mills are regulated and how Kenya manages its sugar supply. The vote comes as the country seeks to reduce reliance on imports and stabilise retail prices.
The election follows the publication of the final voters’ register and candidate list, and is provided for under Section 6 of the Sugar Act, No. 11 of 2024. It will fill five grower seats on the board, with one representative expected from each of Kenya’s five sugar catchment areas.
The Kenya Sugar Board and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development announced that sugarcane growers will go to the polls on November 24, 2026. The election will choose five grower representatives to sit on the board.
The process began on May 12, 2026, when the Elections Committee invited applications from interested members of the public in the respective sugar catchment areas. The final voters’ register and candidate list have since been published, clearing the way for the vote.
Under the Sugar Act, 2024, the Kenya Sugar Board includes five representatives elected by growers from the five sugar catchment areas. It also includes two representatives each from privately owned and publicly owned sugar mills, alongside other members.
The election is therefore not a nationwide political poll. It is a sector-specific vote in which registered sugarcane growers choose the people who will represent their interests in the body that oversees Kenya’s sugar industry.
Kenya’s sugar sector has faced recurring problems, delayed farmer payments, low cane prices, ageing factories, cane shortages, illegal imports and legacy debts. Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has acknowledged that these challenges remain even as reforms boost production.
The Sugar Act, 2024 was introduced to reform the sector and give growers a clearer voice in industry governance. The election of grower representatives is one of the practical steps arising from that law.
Farmers have long argued that they bear the greatest production risks, long maturity periods, weather shocks, high input costs and delayed payments, while receiving limited influence over pricing and factory decisions. The election gives them a formal channel to press those concerns.
The Kenya Sugar Board in April revised the minimum cane price to Sh5,500 per tonne. The board said the move sought to balance farmer returns with the financial sustainability of millers as production rises.
The election process is now at an advanced stage. The final voters’ register and candidate list have been published, and the polling date has been fixed for November 24.
Only registered sugarcane growers whose names appear in the voters’ register for their catchment area can vote. Each catchment area will elect one grower representative, producing five representatives in total.
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The Kenya Sugar Board has said the election will mark a key stage in selecting grower representatives to the board. The process is intended to strengthen grower participation in decisions affecting the sugar value chain.
The board’s wider reform agenda is already showing results in production. Kenya produced 690,521 tonnes of sugar in the first nine months of 2026, a 56.7 per cent increase from 440,652 tonnes during the same period in 2025.
Imports also fell by 31 per cent to 251,690 tonnes between January and September 2026, compared with 364,486 tonnes in the same period last year.
The newly elected grower representatives will be expected to push for timely payment of farmers, fair cane weighing, better harvesting arrangements and stronger oversight of mill performance.
The Kenya Sugar Board now requires millers to pay farmers within seven days of cane delivery or face penalties, including interest. It is also targeting weighbridge fraud, a practice that can reduce farmers’ earnings by under-recording the weight of cane delivered.
For consumers, the election could influence the balance between local production and imports. Kenya’s annual sugar demand is estimated at 1.1 million to 1.2 million tonnes, while the country continues to face a production deficit.
If local production continues to rise and farmer supplies remain stable, Kenya may reduce its import dependence further. But if farmers are underpaid or discouraged from planting cane, supply could fall and imports could rise again.
Sugarcane farming supports thousands of households across Western Kenya, Nyanza, the Coast, Rift Valley and parts of Eastern Kenya. The crop is grown mainly by small-scale farmers, who deliver cane to mills for processing into sugar.
The Kenya Sugar Board regulates the industry, oversees millers and growers, sets or reviews key industry standards and works to stabilise the sugar market. Its decisions can affect cane prices, factory operations, imports and farmer payments.
Kenya’s domestic sugar production grew by 21.98 per cent to 348,143 tonnes between January and May 2026, up from 285,418 tonnes in the same period in 2025. The improvement has been linked to better weather and ongoing reforms.
Despite the gains, Kenya’s production remains below national demand. The Kenya Sugar Board has acknowledged that the country continues to face a major production deficit, with annual demand estimated at 1.1 million to 1.2 million tonnes