By:Robert Mutasi
Sugarcane farmers from Western Kenya are crying out for help, saying the sugar industry that feeds thousands of families is in deep trouble and needs urgent action.
The farmers, who met in Kakamega County, have asked President William Ruto to step in and save the sector before it collapses completely. They say they have waited for too long while their problems keep getting worse.
The farmers are worried about two major issues. First, they are asking Members of Parliament not to change the current Sugar Act in a way that could hurt farmers. They believe some of the proposed amendments could take away the rights and benefits that farmers have fought for many years. They want any changes to the law to protect the farmer first, not big companies or powerful individuals.
Second, the farmers are facing a big leadership crisis. For a long time now, they have not been able to elect their own leaders because of a court case about electoral boundaries in the sugar sector. The case has stopped elections in the five sugar-growing regions, which means farmers have no proper representatives to speak for them.
Speaking during the meeting, the national chairman of the Kenya Association of Sugarcane and Allied Products, Charles Atyang, said the situation has become unbearable. He appealed to Chief Justice Martha Koome to urgently appoint a bench of three judges to hear and decide the case.
“We have waited long enough. We are calling for an executive order by the President to have this matter sorted out. If justice must be done, the Chief Justice should appoint a three-judge bench to have these matters disposed of with the urgency it requires,” Atyang said.
He added that the court should allow the three regions that are not affected by the boundary dispute to go ahead with elections, so that at least some leadership can be put in place.
The farmers explained that because there is no elected leadership, no money from the Sugar Development Levy can be released to help them. This levy is money that is supposed to be used to support farmers, improve roads, buy fertilizer, and develop the sugar industry. But because of the court case, the money is stuck.
“The industry is suffering because no funds from the Sugar Development Levy can be released as we are talking today,” one farmer leader said.
The farmers said many families in Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia, Kisumu and other western counties depend entirely on sugarcane for school fees, food and hospital bills. If the crisis continues, they warned, many families will fall into poverty.
They are now pleading with both the national government and the judiciary to act quickly and rescue the struggling sugar sector before it is too late.