Kenya is one of the leading sugar producers in the East Africa market.
Before the colonial era, sugarcane was an indigenous crop which was used to make traditional brew or just chewed as food. Industrial sugar was first introduced in Kenya in 1902 and two decades later in 1922, its first sugar factory was opened in Miwani near Kisumu.
The sugar industry provides a livelihood to at least 250,000 small scale sugar farmers who supply sugarcane to be milled by various sugar factories.
It is also a source of employment directly and indirectly to around six million Kenyans making it one of the top Gross Domestic Product contributors in the country.
As one of the leading cash crops in Kenya, alongside tea, coffee, sugar is a source of foreign exchange and at the same time it caters for the high demand for local consumption.
Sugar is mainly grown in Western Kenya parts of Busia, Migori, Nyanza in Nyando, Rift valley in Nandi and coastal regions.
The following is a compilation of top sugar manufacturers in the country and who owns them and they can be categorized into three groups.
1. Output and market Share
2. Private sugar manufacturers
3. Government owned sugar manufactures
Output and market share
The following is a list of sugar manufacturers in Kenya based on the output and market share as at April 2020.
| Output & Market Share of Sugar Manufacturers in Kenya between January to April 2020 | |||
| Rank | Name of Manufacturer | Output (Metric tonnes) | Market Share (percentage) |
| 1 | West Kenya Sugar Company | 57,317 | 29.62 |
| 2 | Butali Sugar Mills | 31,108 | 16.07 |
| 3 | Kibos Sugar and Allied Industries Limited | 27,732 | 14.33 |
| 4 | Sukari Industries Limited | 27,606 | 14.26 |
| 5 | Transmara Sugar Company | 25,122 | 12.98 |
| 6 | Nzoia Sugar Factory | 3,832 | 1.98 |
| 7 | Muhoroni Sugar Company | 3,784 | 1.96 |
| 8 | Chemelil Sugar Factory | 1,442 | 0.75 |
| Total |
Private Sugar Manufacturers in Kenya include:
· West Kenya Sugar Company
· South Nyanza Sugar Company Limited (Sony Sugar)
· Kibos Sugar and Allied Industries Limited (KSAIL)
· Butali Sugar Mills
· Transmara Sugar Company
· Sukari Industries Limited
· Kwale International Sugar Company Limited
· Kisii Sugar Factory
Government Owned Sugar Companies
· Mumias Sugar Company
· Nzoia Sugar Factory
· South Nyanza Sugar Company
· Muhoroni Sugar Company (MUSCO)
· Chemelil Sugar Factory
West Kenya Sugar Company Limited
It is a private sugar manufacturing company owned by Tejveer Rai.
Founded in 1981, the company’s headquarters are located in Kakamega County.
It is widely acclaimed by its popular brands Kabras Sugar which has emerged to be a household name.
As of April 2020, the company produced an output of 57,317 metric tonnes of sugar and a market share of 29.62 making it the top sugar manufacturer in the country.
South Nyanza Sugar Company Limited (Sony Sugar)
Sony Sugar is a state owned parastatal with the government being the majority shareholder at 98 percent.
Private investors who also hold shares in the parastatal are Mehta Group, Industrial Development Bank, and Centum Investment.
It was established in 1976 and through its high end brand Sony Sugar, the company has endeared itself to its target market.
Kibos Sugar and Allied Industries (KSAIL)
It is famed for its popular brand Kibos Sugar which is available countrywide.
Founded in 1999, the company is a private entity owned by business mogul Sukwinder Singh also known as Raju Sign Patel.
It is one of the leading sugar manufacturers in the country commanding a huge chunk of the market share.
Sukari Industries Limited
Located in Homabay County, the company is renowned for its brand Ndhiwa Sugar.
The company is one of the three private sugar milling entities owned by the wealthy Rai Group family under the care of Jaswant Rai.
It is a sister company to West Kenya Sugar, Butali Sugar, Olepito Sugar as well as a cement company known as Rai Cement.
Butali Sugar Mills
Founded in January 2011, the miller is popular for its high quality sugar brand named Butali Sugar.
It is located in Kakamega County and is a private company owned by the rai Group Family.
Chemelil Sugar Factory
It is a government parastatal formed in 1965. It is renowned for its signature quality white sugar which is distributed countrywide.
It is located along Awasi – Chemilil – Nandi Hills Road.
Muhoroni Sugar Company Limited (MUSCO)
Located in Muhoroni, Kisumu County, the company is a household name renowned for its popular brown sugar.
The company was founded in 1966 and is a state corporation.
It specializes in growing sugarcane, processing and marketing sugar products to its target market across the country.
Mumias Sugar Company
Founded in 1971, the now beleaguered miller ruled the sugar industry in the East Africa region before it went into shambles a few years back.
The company is currently struggling to get back on its feet and it has since partially resumed operations.
Its signature Mumias Sugar brand is available in most parts of the country.
It is a state corporation located in Mumias town.
Transmara Sugar Company
It is renowned by its popular sugar brands Mara Sugar.
Established in 2011, the sugar miller is located in Kilgoris Narok County.
It is one of the leading private sugar manufacturing firms in the country owned by tycoon Mahul Shah.
Kwale International Sugar Company
It is the manufacturer behind Kwale Sugar products. It is located along Likoni-Lunga Lunga road, Msambweni in Kwale County.
It was commissioned in 2015 and it prides itself in using state of the art technology to provide topnotch products to its clientele.
Conclusion
Despite its huge potential, Kenya’s sugar industry still faces a myriad of problems ranging from low inputs which consequently results to poor yields. A large segment of the sector at 80 percent is carried out by small scale farmers and is dependent on rainfall which has since become unpredictable due to erratic weather patterns.
Technological, agronomical, economical, policy restrictions and mismanagement are some of the key factors which have contributed to the woes of the sugar industries in the country.
Research shows that while production of milled sugar has been declining steadily in recent years to 491,100 tonnes in 2018 from 635,700 tonnes in 2015, sugar imports have been on an increase.
List of sugar manufacturers in Kenya and their owners
Kenya is one of the leading sugar producers in the East Africa market.
Before the colonial era, sugarcane was an indigenous crop which was used to make traditional brew or just chewed as food. Industrial sugar was first introduced in Kenya in 1902 and two decades later in 1922, its first sugar factory was opened in Miwani near Kisumu.
The sugar industry provides a livelihood to at least 250,000 small scale sugar farmers who supply sugarcane to be milled by various sugar factories.
It is also a source of employment directly and indirectly to around six million Kenyans making it one of the top Gross Domestic Product contributors in the country.
As one of the leading cash crops in Kenya, alongside tea, coffee, sugar is a source of foreign exchange and at the same time it caters for the high demand for local consumption.
Sugar is mainly grown in Western Kenya parts of Busia, Migori, Nyanza in Nyando, Rift valley in Nandi and coastal regions.
The following is a compilation of top sugar manufacturers in the country and who owns them and they can be categorized into three groups.
1. Output and market Share
2. Private sugar manufacturers
3. Government owned sugar manufactures
Output and market share
The following is a list of sugar manufacturers in Kenya based on the output and market share as at April 2020.
| Output & Market Share of Sugar Manufacturers in Kenya between January to April 2020 | |||
| Rank | Name of Manufacturer | Output (Metric tonnes) | Market Share (percentage) |
| 1 | West Kenya Sugar Company | 57,317 | 29.62 |
| 2 | Butali Sugar Mills | 31,108 | 16.07 |
| 3 | Kibos Sugar and Allied Industries Limited | 27,732 | 14.33 |
| 4 | Sukari Industries Limited | 27,606 | 14.26 |
| 5 | Transmara Sugar Company | 25,122 | 12.98 |
| 6 | Nzoia Sugar Factory | 3,832 | 1.98 |
| 7 | Muhoroni Sugar Company | 3,784 | 1.96 |
| 8 | Chemelil Sugar Factory | 1,442 | 0.75 |
| Total |
Private Sugar Manufacturers in Kenya include:
· West Kenya Sugar Company
· South Nyanza Sugar Company Limited (Sony Sugar)
· Kibos Sugar and Allied Industries Limited (KSAIL)
· Butali Sugar Mills
· Transmara Sugar Company
· Sukari Industries Limited
· Kwale International Sugar Company Limited
· Kisii Sugar Factory
Government Owned Sugar Companies
· Mumias Sugar Company
· Nzoia Sugar Factory
· South Nyanza Sugar Company
· Muhoroni Sugar Company (MUSCO)
· Chemelil Sugar Factory
West Kenya Sugar Company Limited
It is a private sugar manufacturing company owned by Tejveer Rai.
Founded in 1981, the company’s headquarters are located in Kakamega County.
It is widely acclaimed by its popular brands Kabras Sugar which has emerged to be a household name.
As of April 2020, the company produced an output of 57,317 metric tonnes of sugar and a market share of 29.62 making it the top sugar manufacturer in the country.
South Nyanza Sugar Company Limited (Sony Sugar)
Sony Sugar is a state owned parastatal with the government being the majority shareholder at 98 percent.
Private investors who also hold shares in the parastatal are Mehta Group, Industrial Development Bank, and Centum Investment.
It was established in 1976 and through its high end brand Sony Sugar, the company has endeared itself to its target market.
Kibos Sugar and Allied Industries (KSAIL)
It is famed for its popular brand Kibos Sugar which is available countrywide.
Founded in 1999, the company is a private entity owned by business mogul Sukwinder Singh also known as Raju Sign Patel.
It is one of the leading sugar manufacturers in the country commanding a huge chunk of the market share.
Sukari Industries Limited
Located in Homabay County, the company is renowned for its brand Ndhiwa Sugar.
The company is one of the three private sugar milling entities owned by the wealthy Rai Group family under the care of Jaswant Rai.
It is a sister company to West Kenya Sugar, Butali Sugar, Olepito Sugar as well as a cement company known as Rai Cement.
Butali Sugar Mills
Founded in January 2011, the miller is popular for its high quality sugar brand named Butali Sugar.
It is located in Kakamega County and is a private company owned by the rai Group Family.
Chemelil Sugar Factory
It is a government parastatal formed in 1965. It is renowned for its signature quality white sugar which is distributed countrywide.
It is located along Awasi – Chemilil – Nandi Hills Road.
Muhoroni Sugar Company Limited (MUSCO)
Located in Muhoroni, Kisumu County, the company is a household name renowned for its popular brown sugar.
The company was founded in 1966 and is a state corporation.
It specializes in growing sugarcane, processing and marketing sugar products to its target market across the country.
Mumias Sugar Company
Founded in 1971, the now beleaguered miller ruled the sugar industry in the East Africa region before it went into shambles a few years back.
The company is currently struggling to get back on its feet and it has since partially resumed operations.
Its signature Mumias Sugar brand is available in most parts of the country.
It is a state corporation located in Mumias town.
Transmara Sugar Company
It is renowned by its popular sugar brands Mara Sugar.
Established in 2011, the sugar miller is located in Kilgoris Narok County.
It is one of the leading private sugar manufacturing firms in the country owned by tycoon Mahul Shah.
Kwale International Sugar Company
It is the manufacturer behind Kwale Sugar products. It is located along Likoni-Lunga Lunga road, Msambweni in Kwale County.
It was commissioned in 2015 and it prides itself in using state of the art technology to provide topnotch products to its clientele.
Conclusion
Despite its huge potential, Kenya’s sugar industry still faces a myriad of problems ranging from low inputs which consequently results to poor yields. A large segment of the sector at 80 percent is carried out by small scale farmers and is dependent on rainfall which has since become unpredictable due to erratic weather patterns.
Technological, agronomical, economical, policy restrictions and mismanagement are some of the key factors which have contributed to the woes of the sugar industries in the country.
Research shows that while production of milled sugar has been declining steadily in recent years to 491,100 tonnes in 2018 from 635,700 tonnes in 2015, sugar imports have been on an increase.
