Farmers oppose governors’ plan to stop sale of sugar millers

A farmers’ lobby and a workers’ union have opposed a bid by governors from Western Kenya to stop the sale of five government-owned sugar millers.

The Kenya National Federation of Sugarcane Farmers and the Kenya Union of Sugar Plantation and Allied Workers said their members wanted Muhoroni, Miwani, Chemelil, Nzoia and Sony sugar companies privatised to improve efficiency and increase revenues.

Governors Jack Ranguma (Kisumu), Okoth Obado (Migori) and Paul Chepkwony (Kericho) had on Tuesday demanded that the sale of the five companies be stopped and negotiations held afresh.

They argued that farmers’ rights to participate in the management of their own affairs and development had been violated.

But farmers Thursday said the move would hamper the country from meeting the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) regulations meant to improve competitiveness with other sugar producing countries. 

“We have all been waiting for this moment for close to a decade and there is no way the governors can stop it. They are playing politics with us,” Charles Atyang, the deputy secretary-general of the Kenya National Federation of Sugarcane Farmers, said. “We are fed up with parastatals which don’t have the interest of farmers at heart. We do not want counties to manage our millers.”

The farmers said the counties had unsuccessfully lobbied to take over the management of the millers and their call to stop the privatisation was selfish.

Francis Wangara, the secretary-general of the Kenya Union of Sugar Plantation and Allied Workers, said counties have no capacity to manage millers. “Counties should not be allowed to take full responsibility over millers. That will not be privatisation. If they must be involved, they should just buy shares,” said Mr Wangara.

Solomon Kitungu, the Privatisation Commission CEO, wondered why governors claimed to have been left out of the negotiations.

“Our talks with governors are ongoing and we have done a lot to make all parties understand the process,” said Mr Kitungu on phone.

The process is part of Comesa regulations requiring that all factories be sold to private developers who can invest in modern, efficient machines and also innovative projects that can increase profitability in the sector.

Other protocols require member states to begin paying sugarcane farmers based on the sucrose content of the crop and not the tonnage system in use currently.