Ruto targets sugar exporter status by 2029

President William Ruto follows a demonstration by Friends Vihiga Senior School students during Agriculture and Food Security Transformation Summit at Jamhuri ASK Showground, Nairobi on October 8, 2026. [PCS]

President William Ruto has said Kenya could become a net exporter of sugar by 2029, as increased production and new investments in the sector begin to reverse years of dependence on imports.

Ruto said national sugar production had risen from 500,000 metric tonnes in 2022 to 850,000 tonnes this year, with the government targetin one million tonnes next year.

“In 2029 we should be a net exporter of sugar,” he said.

He said five new sugar factories had been licensed, including Angata, Soit Sugar and Siaya, as the government seeks to expand processing capacity.

Ruto also pointed to renewed confidence among farmers, saying an additional 200,000 acres had been brought under sugarcane cultivation this year.

The President acknowledged financial challenges facing sugar millers and farmers, particularly at Nzoia, where workers have protested over unpaid arrears.

“I assure you that the government is going to pay all the arrears,” Ruto said, adding that Sh2 billion had already been paid and another Sh1 billion was expected to be released.

He said the balance would be factored into the supplementary budget, with a further Sh1.8 billion expected by December or January.

Ruto also linked sugar reforms to Kenya’s broader food-security ambitions, noting that the country has been spending heavily on food imports.

“We have been importing close to 500 billion of food into the country thus spending foreign exchange and denying our people power to produce,” he said.

On dairy, he said milk production had risen from 4.5 billion litres to 5.6 billion litres last year, making Kenya, according to him, Africa’s largest milk producer.

Addressed the Agriculture and Food Security Transformation Summit at Jamhuri ASK Showground, Nairobi, bringing together 10,000 stakeholders to reflect on the gains and challenges in transforming the sector.

 “Since 2022, we have subsidised more than 38 million bags of fertiliser, reducing the price from Sh7,500 to Sh2,000 per bag and cushioning farmers against high input costs.

Consequently, maize production rose from 34.3 million bags in 2022 to 71 million bags in 2025 while cotton yields increased from 177kg to 378kg an acre.

These are some examples of the phenomenal transformation taking place across the agriculture sector as a result of four years of sustained reforms and investment,” he said.

The President said the government would continue investing in agriculture to reduce imports, increase production and turn Kenya into a stronger food-producing and processing economy.

“We intend to build on this progress by building mega, medium and micro dams across the country under the National Infrastructure Fund, expanding acreage under irrigation to 2.5 million acres,” he said.