Sugar woes will ‘kill’ Western politically

The gradual collapse of the sugar industry in Western Kenya, as the Government and stakeholders watch, will not only hit the local economy, but also the political might of the region. Majority of residents here depend on sugarcane earnings to raise families, educate children and kick out poverty.

When this lifeline is allowed to wither, the Western region will find it an uphill task to compete with other elective units across the nation. Our bargaining power on the national political platform will be greatly weakened.

Towns that developed along the sugar belt will definitely collapse since there will be little economic activity. These towns include Shibale, Shianda, Harambee, Kholera, Mayoni and Ekero. During their heyday, these towns were full of economic activities which included acting as payment centres, and residents generally led decent lives. Today, many have either been deserted or are slowly dying with little or no trading taking place. This means economic empowerment of locals has been hit hard and local leaders and the National government must intervene urgently.

Sugarcane farmers in Western Kenya have suffered from endemic mismanagement and the running down of sugar factories for several decades now. This is despite the back breaking efforts they put in their shambas and the financial outlay they use on farm inputs, chemicals and fertilisers.

Individual farmers toil on their small pieces of land, deliver the cane to millers, only for them to get disappointed when the money earned is misappropriated. What Sugar millers deduct from the farmers pay, ostensibly for transportation, harvesting, seed and fertiliser far outweighs the final earnings of the farmer. When shall this come to an end?

Similarly, why is the Jubilee Government so quick to import sugar into the country whenever a short fall emerges, but slow to bail out ailing sugar companies like the now struggling Mumias Sugar Company?

Proper and efficient management of sugar factories in Western Kenya will not only ensure sufficient sugar for the country and for exports, but will also grow the local economy. An empowered people in Western Kenya will be able to chart their political destiny and merge with the rest of Kenyans towards building an equal and united nation.

Continued neglect of the Western region through collapse of major companies like the once powerful Pan paper Mills will only stifle growth and emergence of discerning voters during the elections. This will allow a few politicians with huge amounts of money to sway Western voters during elections. My fear is that there could be a systematic and deliberate annihilation of hitherto profitable ventures in Western so as to influence negatively our voting patterns.

With this in mind, I urge all fellow politicians and prominent business people in Western to unite and help boost the local industries and residents’ incomes.

We must also fight all attempts by middlemen to exploit our sugarcane farmers. When farmers deliver their cane to factories, they must be paid promptly and the price must be right.

Value addition is also an idea all well-meaning local leaders should help put into practice to boost individual farmers’ income. In Parliament and other arms of government, leaders from Western should help formulate policies that will benefit the rural farmers and not enrich the so-called sugar barons.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Felix Koskei should keep himself abreast of the quantities of sugar in the country and Kenya’s capacity to produce the same. By blindly or hurriedly issuing licenses to business people to import the commodity, local farmers will always suffer low prices and wastage of un-harvested excess cane.

In the past, powerful individuals with government connections created artificial sugar shortages so as to exploit the situation and be allowed to import the commodity. This should never be allowed to happen for, if it does, sugarcane farming will die.