By Alloys Musyoka
The Government has launched an ambitious plan to revive the troubled Kwale International Sugar Company Limited (KISCOL), a move expected to restore thousands of jobs, revive sugarcane farming across the Coast region and inject billions of shillings into the local economy.
Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Sen. Mutahi Kagwe has announced the formation of a high-level multi-stakeholder revival committee that will spearhead the reopening of the factory after years of operational challenges that have left farmers without a reliable market and stalled one of Kenya’s largest private sugar investments.
Speaking during an inspection tour of the factory, irrigation dams, plantations and outgrower areas, CS Kagwe said the Government’s priority was not politics but rebuilding the livelihoods of thousands of families who depend directly and indirectly on the sugar value chain.
“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,” the Cabinet Secretary said.
The committee, to be led by the Kenya Sugar Board, will bring together the National Government, Kwale County Government, investors, farmers, security agencies and local leaders to resolve the legal, operational and social challenges that have kept the mill closed.
The Cabinet Secretary said KISCOL remains one of the country’s most strategic sugar investments, possessing modern milling infrastructure, an extensive irrigated nucleus estate and a large outgrower network capable of transforming the economy of Kenya’s Coast region once operations resume.
At full capacity, the integrated sugar complex has the potential to mill thousands of tonnes of cane every day, supporting tens of thousands of direct and indirect livelihoods across farming, transport, mechanical services, irrigation, input supply, retail trade and manufacturing. Beyond producing sugar, the factory has the capacity to stimulate value addition through molasses, ethanol production, electricity co-generation from bagasse and other downstream industries, significantly expanding economic activity in Kwale and neighbouring counties.
The revival is also expected to reduce Kenya’s dependence on imported sugar by increasing domestic production while creating a stable market for local cane farmers.
CS Kagwe acknowledged that KISCOL’s challenges extend beyond financing, citing land disputes, cane shortages, vandalism, delayed farmer payments and insecurity as key issues requiring coordinated intervention.
Among the immediate measures announced is the planned clearance of KSh 66 million in outstanding farmer arrears, a move aimed at restoring confidence among cane growers and encouraging them to resume production.
He also urged residents to protect sugarcane farms and irrigation infrastructure, warning that the burning of cane fields and vandalism of pipelines only prolong the suffering of farmers and delay economic recovery.
The Cabinet Secretary further appealed to the Kwale County Government to fast-track the resettlement of approximately 15,000 squatters occupying nearly 7,000 acres of factory land, describing the issue as one of the biggest obstacles to restoring full-scale operations.
Drawing lessons from the successful leasing and turnaround of public sugar factories in Western Kenya, Kagwe said similar collaboration between Government, investors and local communities could restore KISCOL into a profitable enterprise that benefits everyone.
“We have seen what cooperation can achieve in other sugar-growing regions. When Government, investors and communities work together, factories reopen, production increases and farmers begin earning again. Kwale can achieve the same success,” he said.
The Cabinet Secretary said the revival committee will develop a clear framework defining the responsibilities of each stakeholder while ensuring farmers remain at the centre of every decision.
He maintained that Government support would be anchored on transparency, accountability and a technically sound revival plan that addresses irrigation, cane development, factory operations, financing and long-term sustainability.
If successfully revived, KISCOL is expected to become a major economic anchor for the Coast region, revitalising agriculture, attracting fresh investment, creating employment opportunities for young people and strengthening Kenya’s drive toward greater sugar self-sufficiency while stimulating growth across multiple sectors of the regional economy.
