•He said the measures are to sustain ‘a positive trajectory’ in the revival of sugar mills.
•The government asserts that local firms produced an average of 80,000 tonnes of sugar per month, against local consumption of 4,000 tonnes.
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The government has imposed a ban on sugar imports and directed concerned officers at the ports of entry to enforce it imediately.
Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo said the move is to allow the growth of local sugar mills.
He made the directive as the chairman of the border control and operations coordination committee.
“You are directed to enforce a cessation of brown/table sugar imports at your ports of entry,” the directive reads.
“Additionally, you are required to collaborate within the multi-agency framework to conduct raids on illegal sugar imports."
He said the measures are to sustain ‘a positive trajectory’ in the revival of sugar mills.
The government seeks to revitalise the firms to enhance the livelihoods of sugarcane farming communities.
“To sustain this positive trajectory, it is essential to protect the industry by halting sugar imports,” Omollo said.
He said the government assesses that the sugar produced locally is enough to meet the national demand.
The government asserts that local firms produced an average of 80,000 tonnes of sugar per month, against local consumption of 4,000 tonnes.
Enforcement teams at all borders have been alerted to enforce the directive including transit routes through Lake Victoria.
Chairmen of border management committees at Namanga, Muhuru Bay, Isebania, Taveta, Moyale, Suam, Oloitoktok, Mbita, Busia, Malaba, Lwakhakha, Mandera and Garissa have been notified.
Teams in Kwale, Lamu, Wajir, Kisumu Port, Kisumu Airport, Isiolo, Eldoret Airport, Mombasa and Nairobi have also been directed to enforce the order.
The development could come as a reprieve for cane farmers who have been pressing farmers to impose a ban to allow them to earn better returns.
Kenya Sugarcane Growers Association has been vocal in the call and even requested for a partial ban amid a gloomy price outlook in the local market.
The farmers have rallied the Agriculture and Food Authority to regulate the importation of sugar, accusing it of applying kids' gloves when handling the uncontrolled imports.
KSGA’s Richard Ogendo in an earlier interview decried the negative consequences of unchecked imports.
“If importers are left unchecked, they will employ unfair trade practices to the disadvantage of local manufacturers,” he said.
"We must be acutely aware of the key fundamentals that drive the economy like local manufacturing and take deliberate steps to protect it," the association chief said.
Farmers have been calling on President William Ruto, who completed his four-day tour in Nyanza on Saturday, to impose the ban citing unfair competition.
Cane growers have also been demanding action against unscrupulous traders importing cheap illegal sugar into the country.
Some companies, of which a list of 10 has been floated by the farmers, are reportedly posing as legitimate businesses to smuggle sugar.
Massive sugar importation is viewed as killing local production and endangering cane farmers’ livelihoods.
Calls have been made, albeit to deaf ears, to investigate the source of the sugar flooding the local market.
Millers at times ask the government to open the gates for imports to mitigate cane shortages.