East Africa’s largest and one of the oldest sugar milling companies in the region, Mumias Sugar Company, has issued a detailed explanation to farmers over prolonged delays in cane harvesting, citing overlapping ownership disputes with rival millers.

The statement also cites a three-month industry shutdown and difficult terrain in neighbouring Busia County as the primary obstacles to smooth operations.

In a public notice dated February 11, 2026, the miller acknowledged that harvesting activities have been severely disrupted by conflicts in the field over claims of self-developed cane.

The Kakamega-based company pinpointed competitors West Kenya Sugar Company and Busia Sugar Industry, alleging that overlapping claims have led to complaints lodged with regulators and interruptions to harvesting operations, including the harassment of harvesting teams.

The statement from Mumias Sugar details a chaotic situation in the sugarcane belt where multiple millers are operating in close proximity. Regulations provide for a 40-kilometre buffer between factories, but this has been breached, with the regulator Kenya Sugar Board and the ministry of agriculture appearing – inexplicably – helpless to enforce the requirements.

With West Kenya and Busia Sugar both active in the region, disputes have erupted over cane that farmers developed themselves but which different factories claim as their own.

“In some cases, cane registered with us has been claimed by others or subjected to complaints and disputes raised to regulators,” the company stated. “This has led to field conflicts and interruptions, including harassment of harvesting teams, which slows down operations and scheduling,” the statement says.

The competition for cane comes against a backdrop of broader industry restructuring. The government has leased several state-owned factories to private investors, with West Kenya Sugar – owned by the Rai family – taking over Nzoia Sugar Factory in 2025 with a promise to invest Ksh5.6 billion ($43.4 million) in rehabilitation of the dilapidated facility.

Beyond the inter-miller conflicts, Mumias Sugar pointed to geographical challenges that have complicated harvesting logistics. Approximately 75 per cent of cane in the Busia region is grown in lowland zones that become difficult to access with changing weather that turns soils into a soggy mess.

The company says it continues to invest in additional tractors, trucks, loaders and winches to reach more farms and cut the turnaround time. This commitment to mechanisation, however, has sparked tension with local workers.

In early February, Kakamega County Governor Fernandes Barasa opposed plans by Mumias Sugar to replace 500 cane loaders and harvesters with loading machines, warning of a “socio-economic crisis.”

Mumias Sugar Operations Manager Stephen Kihumba defended the company’s position, stating that the factory actually needs more loaders following the purchase of additional tractors.

“With extra purchases and increased out-growers supply, more loaders are needed,” Kihumba said, and accused the loaders of frustrating farmers by demanding more money for less work.

The company also cited the impact of a three-month closure of the sugar sector last year – a measure intended to allow cane to mature. According to the Kenya Sugar Board, the shutdown was ordered to address the harvesting of immature cane, which he said compromised sugar quality and yields.

However, the unintended consequence has been a bottleneck. With all farmers eager to harvest before the long rains begin, the resumption of operations coincided with a surge in mature cane ready for processing.

The Mumias Sugar management noted that the miller’s daily crushing capacity is currently regulated at about 2,500 tonnes, creating pressure on harvesting teams. At its peak some 20 years ago, the company had installed crushing capacity for 14,000 tonnes per day after installation of ‘diffuser’ technology before it slumped into a monumental financial mess that brought it to its knees.

For farmers in the Mumias region, the latest delays evoke bitter memories. More than 76,000 farmers abandoned sugarcane farming in Mumias in previous years, driven by the failure of the factory to pay Ksh600 million (4.65 million) in dues accrued over two years. Many uprooted cane for maize, groundnuts and soya beans.

The government has made efforts to clear historical debts, announcing plans to pay Ksh2.6 billion ($20.14 million) owed to sugarcane farmers from as far back as 2014. Mumias sugarcane farmers alone were owed Ksh889 million ($6.9 million) in that arrears clearance exercise.

Despite the challenges, Mumias Sugar reaffirmed its commitment to farmers, promising to harvest of all properly registered cane, scale up of equipment and capacity, maintenance of weekly payment programmes and continuous improvement in coordination and scheduling.

The company advised the farmers to work closely with field officers and protect orderly harvesting arrangements to enable faster service delivery.

• A Tell Media report / By Kasembeli Albert