President William Ruto has revealed why the price of sugar has more than quadrupled in recent weeks.
Ruto stated on Wednesday that the increase was caused by misunderstanding and disputes inside the sugar subsector.
Despite this, he stated that the administration is working hard to simplify processes in the sectors.
“We’ve had confusion and chaos in the whole sugar sub-sector and we are streamlining that sector because the whole sugarcane sector has been riddled with all manner of confusion and poaching of sugarcane from one corner to another,” Ruto said.
“The other is everybody is refusing to work in accordance with the law in fact the reason why many sugar companies have closed shop temporarily is because there is no cane to harvest. They were even harvesting cane that is not mature.”
The President said it was true the prices are high but there have been ongoing consultations with the relevant bodies in efforts to streamline the sector.
Ruto noted that the state has deliberately avoided importing sugar, noting that importation has previously been used to try and kill the sugar industry in Kenya.
“It is true prices have gone up. We have been reluctant to work against farmers by opening importation. It has always been a problem in Kenya. Sometimes it has been used to destroy the sugar industry,” he said.
The head of state however said that they have already awarded licences for the importation of sugar, and prices should be going down in the next one or two weeks.
“By mid of this month, we will see a different situation pertain sugar because that is when we expect the first stocks of sugar to come into the country,” the President said.
Ruto affirmed that he now has a comprehensive plan to streamline the sugar subsector.
