Cripple KSB at your Own Peril Cane Farmers Warns Gov’t

By Wakhungu Andaje

“We are going to vote out both the President and Western region Mp’s if they fail to push for the constitution of the Kenya sugar board and stop the proposed Crops laws amendment bill”.

These are sentiments echoed in a public participation to get views on the Crops Laws amendment bill 2026 in Kakamega county which took a new twist after angry cane farmers threatened to unseat President William Ruto and Western caucus Mps led by Ikolomani Mp Bernard Shinali over their failure to protect their sugar sector from exploitation.

Airing their views at Mukhonje Friends church in Malava constituency, the irked farmers accompanied by their various representatives stood ground angrily rejecting the Kimani Ichung’wa sponsored Crops laws amendment bill 2026 terming it as a crafted syndicate meant to defraud the (to be constituted Kenya sugar board (KSB) off its farmers levies.

The farmers maintained that they were not going to allow any bill to be amendment and passed before the election and the constitution of the Kenya sugar board directors.

The directors elections have been suspended twice through court petitions a move cane farmers allege is a calculated one by parliament to ensure that the Crop laws bill is passed to take away the financial lending powers from KSB to KADCO rendering the former financially handicapped.

The farmers were reacting to the troubling Crops Laws (amendment) bill 2026 that has been sponsored by leader of majority party Kimani Ichung’wa and published in the Kenya gazette supplement no.134 of 5th June 2026 that proposes for the amendment of several Acts of parliament including sugar Act (No.11 of 2024, Kenya agricultural and livestock research institute Act (Cap319); and Tea Act (Cap 343).

The proposed bill is seeking to remove the financial lending powers from the Kenya agricultural and research organization (KALRO), the Kenya sugar board (KSB) and the Tea board of Kenya and instead transfer them to anew constituted body (Kenya agribusiness development corporation (KADCO), a limited formed company under the government owned enterprises Act(No.25 of 2025).

If the bill is passed into law it means that the Kenya sugar board will lose 40% of farmers cane development and productivity levy to KADCO which will take the lending out process.

Further if the bill sails through, it will give powers to KADCO to strip Kenya sugar board, (KSB), agriculture finance corporation (AFC) and the commodities fund its lending powers hence become the sole lending body.

It is this proposals that have angered the cane farmers who have cited that the government was trying to shortchange the Kenya sugar board to the benefit of other boards.

The farmers drawn from both West Kenya (Kabras) and Butali sugar cane growers unanimously mounted a spirited fight to reject the bill and sending a stern warning to Kimani Ichung’wa that he was tainting the political support the President was enjoying in the region. 

The representation that included, Butali sugarcane out growers association, West Kenya sugarcane out growers limited (WEKOL), Butali sugar mills, Kenya national federation of sugarcane farmers, office of the Kakamega county Senator, Bunge la Mwananchi Butali chapter, Malava Mp, Kenya sugar board directorship aspirants and farmers all ganged up to refute the proposed bill terming it as draconian.

The parliamentary committee team which was assigned to conduct the exercise in Western part including Busia Bungoma and Kakamega led by its chairman John Mutunga (Mp Tigania West) and Kwanza Mp Ferdinand Wanyonyi being part of the committee had to heed to the demands of the farmers who did not mince their words.

The West Kenya out growers company limited chairman Joseph Musanga Indumuli said they were opposing the bill as it was violating the 2024 sugar Act by removing lending functions from specific agricultural bodies and redirecting them to KADCO.

He argued that the government through KADCO was planning to return the 40% back to the miller instead of the farmer and yet the miller already has its share.

He accused both the cabinet secretary agriculture Mutahi Kagwe and leader of majority one Kimani Ichung’wa of hatching a plot to rip off cane farmers.

His Butali sugarcane out growers chairman William Kopi expressed faith in the committee but lashed out at the regions political leadership for their non-verbal support towards the farmers interests.

He announced that he will rally his farmers to rally reject the bill at all costs and instead support the strengthening of the Kenya sugar board through the elections of directors.

As farmers we are demanding that no bill is amended until the scheduled 18th November 2026 KSB elections are held and the directors are sworn in office so that they can also give their views on the transfer of the 40% cane development levy from their kitty to that of KADCO.

The Kenya national sugar federation chairman Isaac Watambamala hit out on the Mps for failing to stand and protect the cane farmers from many years of humiliation and exploitation.

He threatened that the federation will move to court if the committee does not capture and present their views raised at the meeting.

He wondered why the committee was in a hurry to pass the bill and yet there was the 2024 coffee and cotton Act which was yet to be implemented.

The federation rubbished the bill and its proposer as not having any idea of how cane farming is conducted.

Butali sugar cane out growers Director Richard Shiyonga questioned the timing of the bill especially when the Kenya sugar board directors’ elections had been suspended.

A farmer Sabu Kofia said KADCO was targeting to fleece the KSB funds before allowing the director’s elections with the funds aimed to improve other sectors (tea, coffee cotton and pyrethrum).

He suggested that each sector to have its own board to handle its finances independently adding that combining sugar levies to other crops was a huge loss to the cane farmers.

The farmers further doubted KADCO will be servicing the loans to farmers since KSB only required a contract from the farmer and the miller for one to be serviced.

Daniel Tuvei representing the small scale farmers who constitute to 85% warned that the bill was politically suicidal with only 10 months to the general election.

"This crop laws amendment bill if passed will have a very devastating impact on the presidential and Western region parliamentarians from cane growing zones and hence the government should tread carefully for this is it's litmus paper of what lies ahead of them in the coming polls,cane farmers have suffered for many years and when they thought that Kenya sugar board was coming to salvage them then you have also planted stogies to run to court to block it's election and then you bring a bill you expect the farmers will support,we need a fully constituted KSB before anything else and pur stand will remain that way" he paused.