Cabinet Secretary Agriculture & Livestock Dev't

KENYA SUGAR BOARD ELECTIONS NOW SET FOR NOVEMBER 24 AS FINAL VOTER REGISTER IS PUBLISHED Sugarcane farmers will go to the polls on November 24, 2026, to elect their representatives to the Kenya Sugar Board, following an official notice announcing the election date and confirming the publication of the final voters’ register. The notice, dated October 30, 2026, places the election process at a decisive stage, with both the final list of candidates and the register of eligible voters already published. For growers, the election provides an opportunity to choose the representatives who will carry their interests into the board, giving farmers a direct voice in the institution overseeing the sugar industry. “The public and sugar crop growers are hereby notified that the election of grower representatives to the Kenya Sugar Board will be carried out on 24th November, 2026,” the notice states. Issued under the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development and signed by the Elections Committee Chairperson Harun Khator, the notice also commits the committee to conducting the exercise within the applicable legal requirements. “The electoral process will be undertaken in compliance with the applicable governing legal framework and court orders,” it states. The announcement gives growers and candidates a definite date around which to prepare for the ballot, following the completion of key stages of the electoral process. According to the notice, the final voters’ register has been published on the Kenya Sugar Board’s website and displayed physically at the required facilities, providing growers with both online and physical access to the register. The committee says the publication was undertaken in accordance with Rule 9(7) of the Procedure for Election of Grower Representatives to the Kenya Sugar Board, 2025. The availability of the register is a significant milestone because it allows growers to check their registration details ahead of the election. Farmers preparing to participate can consult the published register as the exercise moves towards polling day. The election process began with a notice dated May 12, 2026, inviting applications from interested members of the public in the respective sugar catchment areas to contest positions as grower representatives. That application process was subsequently extended through a notice dated August 7, 2026. The Elections Committee then published the final list of candidates through a notice dated August 20, 2026, setting out the field of contenders for the board positions. With the candidates identified, the final voters’ register published and the polling date now announced, attention shifts to preparations for the November vote. The notice cites Section 6 of the Sugar Act, No. 11 of 2024, as the legal basis for the membership of the Kenya Sugar Board and the electoral process for grower representatives. The exercise therefore forms part of the implementation of the framework through which farmers elect their representatives to the board. For sugarcane-growing communities, the significance of the ballot extends beyond the selection of individual candidates. It concerns who will speak for growers in board deliberations and how effectively their concerns will be presented. The positions offer an institutional channel for farmer representation, placing responsibility on those elected to articulate the interests of the growers who send them to the board. The committee’s express commitment to comply with the governing legal framework and court orders also establishes the terms under which the election is to proceed. The October 30 notice announces the election date and confirms the status of the candidate list and voters’ register. It does not set out polling hours or identify individual polling stations. Growers will therefore need to follow official election communications for those operational details as November 24 approaches.

CS Sen. Mutahi Kagwe, accompanied by PS @jmueke, met with the Organising Secretariat of the 2026 Agricultural Summit, led by Secretary Administration Mr. Harun Khator, to appreciate the team’s efforts, assess key wins and areas for improvement, and review Presidential directives issued during the summit to chart the way forward for their implementation. The focus now shifts from a successful summit to actionable outcomes that deliver lasting impact for farmers and Kenya’s agricultural sector.

CS KAGWE OPENS HISTORIC WORLD POTATO CONGRESS, TARGETS IMPORT SUBSTITUTION AND INVESTMENT IN IDLE PUBLIC LAND Kenya has taken centre stage in the global potato industry, with CS Sen. Mutahi Kagwe opening the 13th World Potato Congress and inviting investors to help the country replace imported potato products, expand processing and turn idle public land into productive agricultural enterprises. The historic gathering has attracted 1,000 delegates from 67 countries, surpassing the initial target of 600 delegates from 60 countries. Running from 26 to 30 October 2026, it is the first World Potato Congress to be held in Sub-Saharan Africa, giving Kenya a platform to showcase its agricultural potential and secure partnerships in research, seed production, mechanisation, storage and processing. CS Kagwe urged delegates to ensure the gathering delivers practical benefits to farmers, placing their incomes, productivity and access to markets at the centre of the discussions. “A food secure, healthier, prosperous farmer is also, in my considered view, a prerequisite for a safer, stable and productive society,” CS Kagwe said. The congress builds on his call during a preparatory meeting last week for investors to seize opportunities in replacing imported potato products with locally produced alternatives. During those discussions, CS Kagwe cited local supply meeting 40% of the market against 60% supplied through imports, identifying the gap as an investment opportunity for Kenyan farmers and processors. “This is an opportunity to substitute imports,” CS Kagwe said at the preparatory meeting. He called for investment that connects farmers to processors, hotels, restaurants and fast-food businesses, allowing Kenya to retain more earnings, create jobs and build its capacity to export quality potato products. At the congress opening, CS Kagwe highlighted the Land Commercialization Initiative, through which the government is leasing idle public land to private investors on a long-term basis for agricultural production. He invited investors to partner with Kenya in unlocking the land’s productive potential, linking commercial farming to irrigation, technology, value addition and reliable markets. CS Kagwe also outlined the government’s wider irrigation ambition, including the development of 50 mega dams, 200 medium-sized dams and 1,000 water pans and reservoirs to reduce dependence on unpredictable rainfall. Potato, he noted, is Kenya’s second most important food and cash crop, supporting livelihoods across farming, transport, trade, processing and food services. Citing the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics’ National Agriculture Production Report 2025, CS Kagwe said Kenya produced approximately 2.2M tonnes of potatoes in 2024, valued at KSh 72.5B. This was a decline from approximately 2.3M tonnes in 2023, partly attributed to failed short rains and excessive long rains that contributed to fungal diseases, including potato blight. To address these challenges, CS Kagwe outlined interventions targeting quality seed, disease management, climate-smart production and reduced post-harvest losses. He highlighted research by the KALRO, and the International Potato Center to develop a late blight-resistant biotech potato using the popular Shangi variety. CS Kagwe said the variety, developed by introducing three resistance genes into Shangi, had demonstrated complete resistance to late blight in field trials, pointing to the potential to reduce fungicide spraying against the disease. He also cited Clone IG-70, a drought- and blight-tolerant potato variety developed through KALRO’s Potato Research Centre in Tigoni, which he said was progressing towards final verification. The CS pointed to the KALRO Marindas Potato Sub-Centre in Kuresoi North, Nakuru County, commissioned three months earlier to support access to certified seed and training in modern farming technologies.

The Cabinet Committee met today to discuss policy reforms aimed at improving the implementation, coordination and accountability of Government programmes.