The Ministry of Agriculture has ordered the immediate closure of sugarcane weighbridges operating outside designated zones.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe noted that weighbridges operating unlawfully outside their catchment areas are disrupting cane zoning and harvesting in the country.
Only the Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Sugar Board will have the power to approve weighbridge operations in sugarcane zones, according to the CS.
Kagwe gave this order during a meeting with the Kenya Union of Sugar Plantation and Allied Workers, the Kenya Sugar Board, and other stakeholders on Tuesday, November 4.
"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," a statement from the ministry stated.
"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," it added.
According to Kagwe, shutting down the weighbridges is one of the key strategies that the government is implementing to restore industry confidence, protect livelihoods, and ensure transparent operations across the sugarcane industry value chain.
Addressing the issue of outstanding arrears owed to farmers and workers who are working in public sugar factories that are set to be leased to private entities, Kagwe assured that the government has already initiated the process of clearing any outstanding payments.
The majority of the workers in the sugar factories will either be reabsorbed by the private operators who have taken over the mills or exit through retirement, according to the CS.
The government, according to Kagwe, will be at the vanguard of ensuring that the private investors adhere to investment commitments by the lessees, as well as the commencement of full operations in the factories and repairs of the facilities.
“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,” Kagwe said.
"The payment programme is already underway, adding that the government has also begun clearing longstanding dues owed to sugarcane farmers," he added.
