The government has announced a comprehensive plan to revive the Kwale International Sugar Company Limited (KISCOL), aiming to rejuvenate sugar production in Kenya's Coast region and safeguard thousands of livelihoods.

Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe unveiled the initiative during a tour of the sugar factory, irrigation infrastructure, plantations, and outgrower farms in Kwale County on Thursday.

Multi-Stakeholder Committee to Oversee Revival

Kagwe revealed that a high-level committee, chaired by the Kenya Sugar Board, has been established. The group includes representatives from national and county governments, investors, farmers, security agencies, and local leaders. Their mandate is to resolve legal, operational, and social challenges that have hindered KISCOL's operations for years.

"This visit is not about politics. It is about the lives and livelihoods of the people of Kwale. A factory is only important because of the people whose lives it transforms," Kagwe emphasized.

Economic Potential of KISCOL

KISCOL is regarded as a key investment in Kenya's sugar industry due to its modern milling facilities, extensive irrigated estates, and a broad network of outgrower farmers. Once operational, the factory is expected to generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs across farming, transport, irrigation, mechanical services, retail, and manufacturing sectors.

Additionally, KISCOL has the capacity to produce molasses, ethanol, and generate electricity from bagasse, creating further economic opportunities for Kwale and neighboring counties.

Addressing Challenges and Immediate Actions

  • Outstanding payments totaling Ksh66 million to sugarcane farmers will be disbursed promptly to encourage renewed cultivation.
  • Efforts will be intensified to resolve land disputes, including the resettlement of approximately 15,000 squatters occupying nearly 7,000 acres of factory land.
  • Residents are urged to refrain from burning sugarcane fields and damaging irrigation infrastructure to protect the sector's recovery.

Kagwe cited improvements in western Kenya's public sugar factories as examples of successful collaboration between government, investors, and communities, which led to factory reopenings and increased production.

"When government, investors and communities work together, factories reopen, production increases and farmers begin earning again. Kwale can achieve the same success," he concluded.