By Faith Matete 

The election of grower representatives to the Kenya Sugar Board scheduled for Saturday, September 5, 2026, has been suspended following interim conservatory orders issued by the court.

 Harun Khator, Chairperson of the Kenya Sugar Board Grower Directors Election Committee and Secretary Administration, said the committee had suspended the exercise after reviewing the implications of the court orders on the electoral process. 

The orders were issued on Wednesday, September 2, in Kericho Constitutional Petition No. E016 of 2026, filed by Richard Ochieng and two others against the Kenya Sugar Board and the Election Committee. 

According to a notice issued by the committee, the court temporarily suspended the election process in the Central Catchment Area.

 The committee subsequently considered the orders and their implications for the planned elections across the five catchment areas.

 “In light of the need to ensure that the electoral process is undertaken in accordance with the directions of the Court and cognizant of the duty to uphold the rule of law, the Election Committee has resolved to suspend the election until such a time when the orders are set aside or varied by the court,” Khator said in the notice.

 The suspension means sugarcane growers will not elect their representatives to the Kenya Sugar Board on September 5 as earlier scheduled. 

The committee said the election had been suspended to a later date, which will be communicated to growers and candidates once the legal situation is resolved. 

The development is likely to disrupt preparations by candidates who had been campaigning for positions representing growers in the board's leadership. 

The Kenya Sugar Board grower directors' election is intended to give sugarcane farmers representation in the management and affairs of the country's sugar industry. 

Khator urged all growers and candidates to take note of the suspension as the committee complies with the court's directions.

 The committee said the election will proceed once the conservatory orders are set aside or varied by the court, with a fresh date to be announced.

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