Kenya launches multi‑stakeholder plan to revive Kwale sugar factory

Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development Mutahi Kagwe announced the creation of a high‑level multi‑stakeholder committee to restart Kwale International Sugar Company Limited (KISCOL), which has been closed for years. The committee, chaired by the Kenya Sugar Board and comprising national and county officials, investors, farmers, security agencies and community leaders, will tackle legal, operational and social challenges such as land disputes, cane shortages, vandalism, delayed farmer payments and security concerns.

The revival plan includes settling about KES 66 million owed to farmers and resettling roughly 15,000 squatters on factory land. Restarting the plant is expected to restore thousands of jobs, increase domestic sugar production, reduce reliance on imports and generate value‑added products such as molasses, ethanol and electricity from bagasse.