The Death of the Sugar Sector....What is ailing the Sugar Industry?

The quote “Do not ask what your nation will do for you instead ask yourself what you can do for your nation” is often quoted but never given in complete perspective, What can a government do for her people before she asks the same from her citizens? Currently, the Kenyan government is negotiating for another 10 year extension window for the importation of sugar and sugar products from the COMESA region. This could be  good for Kenyan economy for it also allows the exchange of other Kenyan products into the same market but this bilateral agreement has killed a potential Kenyan agricultural sector; The sugar industry.

Well, it is not a lost fact that the sugar sector has been in the doldrums and has envisaged lip-service more than real development policies. The sugar industry players for a good period cumulatively presided over the death of sugar factories like Ramisi and Miwani and the few actively remaining factories like Mumias, SONY, Chemelil, and Nzoia have been crippled to operate below their potential. Shockingly, leader after leader from these once vibrant sugar belts get to these ranks especially the elective positions based on their empty promises to revive or lobby the government to give life to this ailing industry in its death bed.

The farmers in these regions have lost their zeal to grow sugar cane. For instance, the relentless farmers in Magina - Apondo (Nyando District); a once considered sugarcane producing zone have to contend with persistent arsonist attacks as they watch their plantations razed down to ashes because the surrounding factories cannot process the canes and even when they are taken to the far flung factories, the pricing does not merit the farmers’ efforts.

Unlike other cash crop farmers, the sugarcane farmers have never got any incentive from the government. Truth be told, they have been subjected to unfair competition by the very same government which is supposed to be the protector the local farmer. Unscrupulous business entities have been allowed to import sugar into the country beyond the regulated amounts. The ripple effect is that the local factories have been reduced to minor players in the sugar which in effect takes out the farmer in Apondo, Busia, Awendo and Ramisi from cane farming; thus his/her main source of livelihood is crippled and in a very thoughtless sense, the cycle of poverty is rooted by the very same government that is supposed to better it.

However, both the cane farmer and the sugar industry are in luck for with the advent of the county governments, the above ailing can be the basis to form a deliberate common ground to lobby for better effective and implementable policies. For instance, the county governments can lobby for foreign direct investment to the sector by offering attractive  incentives or the sugarcane growing counties can come together and from a common front to repeal the obsolete polices that have killed the sector. Counties like Busia, Kisumu, Kericho, Kakamega, Kilifi must deliberately seek a common front and voice to address this vital sector that has untapped potential. Better still; the government should shed its ownership percentage share to the local farmers and let them be part of their own factories.

The county government must preside over the revival of Miwani (which is the only factory in East and Central Africa that could process refined sugar), Ramisi for the benefit of the Coastal region and these half dead factories be revitalized to operate at full capacity. The Governors must not resort rushing to go begging for aid to stabilize their counties and plunge them into serious debt crisis in the future but seek the hard yet lucrative path of enhancing their self sustainability by maximizing the usage of the resources at their disposal within the counties prudently.

Right now, the clamour is for the Central government to send monies to the County governments but it is not hard to foresee a situation where the Central government will gain its stability emanating from the steady growth from the county governments. If real growth was envisaged through county governments then the Kenyan economic withstanding in the global scene must be based on the performance of the same county government. If the government (Central or County governments) can do this for her people, then and only then will be the question complete; what will a person do to his/her government? And the answer won’t be hard to guess; “contribute to my government’s growth”.

The writer is Deputy Sec. Gen and Training Director at Kenya National Debate Council (KNDC)