- Sugar millers want tighter controls on raw sugar imports to protect local producers.
- They urged enforcement of the Sugar Act, 2024 and Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) rules to stop raw sugar reaching consumers.
- They warned excess imports are hurting local millers, jobs and tax revenue.
Sugar industry stakeholders have urged the national government to regulate the volume of sugar imported into the country. They warned that excessive imports are hurting local producers and creating loopholes for the sale of industrial sugar to consumers.
The stakeholders appeared before the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, which brought together local sugar manufacturers and millers. They said increased imports of raw and industrial sugar were allowing products not intended for direct human consumption to enter the domestic market.
They urged the government to strengthen enforcement measures to prevent raw sugar from being diverted into the retail market.
Ali Taib, owner of Busia Sugar, said raw sugar should only be imported as a short term measure to address supply deficits and to support industries that rely on industrial sugar, including the food, beverage, pharmaceutical and distillery sectors.
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Other stakeholders said international practice requires raw sugar to undergo refining before it is sold for human consumption. They noted that the product contains impurities and may be transported in open containers because it is not intended to be consumed in its raw form.
The millers called for strict enforcement of the Sugar Act, 2024, related regulations and Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) requirements to prevent the diversion of raw sugar into the domestic market.
They also warned that large scale sugar imports are putting local manufacturers under pressure by depressing market prices and reducing sales. This, they said, could result in job losses and undermine the sustainability of the local sugar industry.
The stakeholders further raised concerns over revenue losses arising from uncustomed sugar entering the country.
They told the committee, chaired by Ikolomani MP Bernard Shinali, that large quantities of raw sugar, which they described as unsuitable for direct domestic consumption, are finding their way onto retail shelves because of their lower landing costs.
The millers urged Parliament and the government to tighten controls on sugar imports and strengthen monitoring at entry points and across the supply chain to protect local producers and ensure that only safe sugar reaches consumers.
By Obegi Malack
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