Renewed Hope for SonySugar after Government Paid Farmers’ Arrears

Since the Government cleared the arrears owed to the farmers who supplied milling and seed cane to SonySugar, the company is now able to attract high volumes of cane—of up to 15,000 tones per week. The arrears had been accrued over three years.

President William Ruto visited the company on October 8th, 2023, and promised that his administration would address the matter. At that time, the farmers were reluctant to supply cane to all government-owned millers. The verification of farmers’ accounts by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development took another three months.

However, at the end of January 2024, the farmers received their pay into their bank accounts. “The payment came as a big relief to us,” said Mr. Jared Ayany, a large-scale farmer contracted by the company. Another farmer, Mzee Dominic Akong’o, said he is now able to reinvest the money into cane production. The farmers spoke with the team from the Statehouse Communication Unit.

Board of Directors Chairman, Hon. Jared Kopiyo, thanked His Excellency the President for his steadfast commitment to turn around the fortunes of the sugar industry in the country.