Kagwe: Govt will honour all dues for sugar workers
Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has stated that the government will settle all outstanding payments owed to employees in public sugar factories.
Speaking during a consultative meeting with representatives from the Kenya Union of Sugar Plantation and Allied Workers, the Kenya Sugar Board, and delegates from the four leased state-owned sugar factories on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, Kagwe emphasised that addressing workers’ arrears remains a top priority for the government.
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“We are not refusing to pay. We are working within fiscal realities, but every shilling due will be honoured. This office remains open and fully committed to ensuring workers and farmers receive what they are owed.”
He noted that the payment programme is already underway, with the government simultaneously clearing long-pending dues owed to sugarcane farmers across the sugar belt.
Kagwe underscored that the administration’s ongoing reforms in the sugar sector are designed to stabilise the industry and create a foundation for sustainable growth.
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The CS said the leasing of key state-owned sugar mills, including Chemelil, Muhoroni, Miwani, and Nzoia Sugar Companies, marks a strategic shift towards efficiency, sustainability, and job creation.
Kagwe revealed that the majority of factory workers will be reabsorbed by private operators who have taken over the mills, with others exiting through retirement.
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While highlighting the importance of private-sector participation in reviving the sugar industry, the CS issued directives to ensure accountability and smooth operations across the sector.
These include immediate commencement of full operations in all leased factories, urgent repairs at the facilities, and strict adherence to investment commitments by the lessees.
To safeguard farmers and maintain order in the sector, the CS further directed that only the CEO of the Kenya Sugar Board may authorise weighbridge operations.
Unauthorised weighbridges, he warned, will not be tolerated, and disruptions to cane zoning and harvesting areas will be firmly addressed. Weighbridges for millers operating outside their catchment areas shall be closed with immediate effect.
