Nzoia sugar factory in Bungoma/COURTESYSugarcane farmers in Bungoma are regaining confidence in the future of the crop following the revival of Nzoia Sugar Company under a lease to West Kenya Sugar Company, a subsidiary of the Rai Group.
The farmers say the resumption of milling operations and regular weekly payments for cane deliveries have restored stability to an industry that had been weighed down by years of delayed payments and financial difficulties.
Speaking during a public sensitisation meeting organised by the company, farmers said the leasing arrangement had brought fresh optimism to households that depend on sugarcane as their main source of income.
Ferdinand Makhanu, a farmer who has grown sugarcane for more than 20 years, praised the government for intervening in the troubled miller, saying growers had been close to abandoning the crop.
“I have gained a lot from sugarcane farming. I have been able to educate my children and even built a nice home for my family,” Makhanu said.
He recalled a period when farmers waited for about two months to receive payment before the situation deteriorated further.
“It reached a point where they were paying farmers in piecemeal and it was not helping much,” he said.
Makhanu said delayed payments made it difficult for farmers to plan their lives and meet household needs.
“There were many challenges starting with delayed payments and also lack of proper seed varieties,” he said.
He said the change since the takeover had restored confidence among farmers.
“From what I have seen so far, I strongly believe that leasing was the best thing and I thank our President for the decision because farmers are now being paid regularly and there is money in circulation,” Makhanu said.
Farmers Service Center owner Ferdinand Makhanu said that farmers are optimistic about the future/COURTESYHe added that the revival had also created opportunities for young people and women, while reducing economic pressures in the area.
“Youth and women are now getting into farming, others have gained jobs and that is why I am thanking the President,” he said.
Alice Wanyonyi, 70, said the collapse of Nzoia had affected the wider community because the factory was a major source of livelihoods.
“It was bad seeing Nzoia going down because this factory means everything to us. Even if you only owned a small plot of land in Nzoia, you will earn a living,” Wanyonyi said.
She said the factory had historically provided employment opportunities to local residents, including young people completing school.
“Our President saved us because this factory was going to collapse and now we are being paid on a weekly basis and things are getting better,” she said.
Wanyonyi, however, urged the new management to ensure that locally produced Nzoia sugar eventually reaches shops.
“The new investor has made an impact, he has employed our children. We supply cane to the factory and we are paid but we need to see their sugar on the shelves. We should not be taking other brands when we have our own,” she said.
Nzoia Sugar Company chief executive officer Sohan Sharma said the company had so far injected more than Sh700 million into farmers’ pockets through cane payments.
He said the company was also paying salaries and benefits to more than 900 employees on time.
“We are paying the salaries on time, farmers’ weekly payments are going on. So these are all the things that we have achieved so far,” Sharma said.
He said the new management had also begun restoring the company's nucleus estate, noting that more than half of the land had been lying fallow when they took over.
“Even in the nucleus also, when we came, more than 50 per cent of the land was fallow land and full of bushes,” he said.
The government leased four state-owned sugar companies to private investors last year as part of efforts to improve efficiency, revive production and address persistent financial challenges in the sugar sector.
For farmers in Bungoma, the revival of Nzoia has offered renewed hope that sugarcane can once again become a dependable source of income for the region.
