Corruption. That 10-20per cent mark up every supplier to sugar companies must pay, that cut the sugar company bosses must make b4 paying farmers, this is what is killing our sugar, coffee and tea industries. Dairy is in private hands so it's safe.

perhaps we should fix this! sioni vile sugar transported 11,000kms to Mombasa and shipped to Kampala and shipped back to Nairobi still beats Sugar from western! we should ask ourselves hard questions - for how long shall we enable this problem? imagine the sugar industry still has issues bila hii 'cheap' sugar from Brazil via Mombasa and Kampala! what is their excuse? we can see how cheap sugar would ruin their market but even right now it's in the industry is in the ICU and yet it's protected. We need to fix our sugar industry or move on! who says we must plant sugar? we can do other things! Central Kenya uprooted Coffee and Tea which is/was against the law! if something does not work for you - don't wait for other people to fix it for you.. take a step yourself... Kama haina faida... WACHANA NAYO!

I always wonder why farmers in Western Kenya keep on clinging on sugar?? In Central when the coffee returns dwindled people descended on those coffee trees with power saws. and moved on to dairy which is vey efficient so why cant westerners adopt the same approach. Even in Kiambu pple uprooted coffee and planted rental houses instead.

True, we need prosperity politics, not the politics being played especially in this instance - siasa za ufukara.

SUgarcane in western kenya has proved time and time again that it can't compete with imports, thus the protectionist measures in place, and even with that we are still unable to run profitable sugar companies since greed has taken over.

Blocking imports is not the solution, given that those shouting loudest are clad in foreign imported suits, why don't they order fabric from rivatex wapeleke kwa local tailors washone nguo zao.

maybe we should... the status quo is not working. we are having expensive sugar, tax payer money is being used to keep these factories a float and the worst thing is WE KNOW THAT THERE IS CHEAP SUGAR OUT THERE!