SUCAM, the sugar campaign for change advocacy group, today laid out multiple legal breaches within Kenya’s draft sugar regulations in an alert to the Ministry of Agriculture’s Sugar Industry Task Force of the need to be vigilant in observing Kenya’s constitution, trade agreements, and existing legal framework. In one of multiple legal breaches, SUCAM drew attention to the requirement in the existing draft agreement that all farmers and millers be members of apex bodies in order to engage in sugar production. “This requirement flies in the face of the “freedom to be members” of associations as spelt out in section…

SUCAM, the sugar campaign for change advocacy group, today declared that the sugar zoning proposed in Kenya's draft Sugar Regulations, 2018 is an illegal and anti-competitive constraint that would require an express waiver by the Competition Authority. The draft regulations, now under review by the Agriculture Ministry's Sugar Industry Taskforce, propose that sugar cane farmers be obliged to sell their produce to specific sugar mills, with a single buyer for each area dictated by regulation. The proposed reintroduction of zoning has ignited memories among farmers - most especially in Mumias, SONY, Chemelil, Muhuroni and Nzoia - of the losses caused…