Kenya produced 690,521 tonnes of sugar in the first nine months of 2026, a 56.7 per cent increase from the same period last year, while average retail prices fell by KSh16 per kilogram compared with September 2025, bringing the equivalent cost of two kilograms down by KSh32.

The improved national supply comes as Kenya Sugar Board Chief Executive Officer Jude Chesire, who chairs the International Sugar Organization (ISO) Council, helped resolve a leadership stalemate at the organisation, a role Kenya is seeking to use to advance discussions on export markets, ethanol and investment in sugar processing.

Chesire initiated consultations among member states after three rounds of voting failed to produce a candidate with the required two-thirds majority for the Executive Director position.

The Council subsequently agreed that Devesh Devani of Mauritius would serve the first four-year term, followed by Eduardo Leão de Sousa of Brazil for the succeeding four years.

The agreement followed inconclusive formal voting on September 22, 2026. It places Kenya in a convening role within the international sugar industry at a time when its domestic production is growing and attention is turning to how that growth can be sustained.

According to the Kenya Sugar Board’s CEO Jude Chesire, cumulative sugar production increased from 440,652 tonnes between January and September 2025 to 690,521 tonnes during the corresponding period in 2026. Kenya projects 900MT of sugar against a demand of 1Million compared to a prpduction of 650,00MT last year.

That represents an additional 249,869 tonnes of locally produced sugar entering the national supply picture.

Factories processed 7.76 million tonnes of sugarcane, compared with 4.97 million tonnes a year earlier, an increase of 56.2 per cent.

For consumers, the production gains coincided with lower retail prices compared with a year earlier, although the reduction was not uniform across outlets and counties.

The national average retail price stood at KSh 155 per kilogram in September 2026, against KSh 171 in September 2025.

At those averages, two kilograms cost approximately KSh 310, compared with KSh 342 a year earlier. The KSh 32 difference offers some relief on a regularly purchased household commodity, particularly for families balancing food, transport and other daily expenses.

The national production increase was accompanied by a reduction in sugar imports.

Between January and September, Kenya imported 251,690 tonnes, compared with 364,486 tonnes during the same period in 2025 — a decline of approximately 31 per cent, or 112,796 tonnes.

The sharpest reduction was in mill white and brown sugar, whose imports fell by about 71 per cent to 65,845 tonnes from 226,730 tonnes.

Refined white sugar imports, however, increased to 158,006 tonnes, from 137,756 tonnes. This indicates that the country’s supply challenge involves both the volume produced and the ability of local processors to meet demand for different sugar categories.

Local millers’ cumulative sales rose by 45.6 per cent to 635,672 tonnes, compared with 436,593 tonnes in the first nine months of 2025.

Sugar stocks at the end of September stood at 70,773 tonnes, against 14,033 tonnes a year earlier, providing a larger inventory buffer than at the same point last year.

For cane-growing communities, the increased annual processing volumes mean more cane has passed through factories. Whether that translates into stronger household incomes also depends on farmers’ production costs, harvesting arrangements, cane prices and payment timelines.

Against that domestic backdrop, Chesire’s ISO role gives Kenya an opportunity to engage producing and consuming countries on market access, processing technology and diversification.

His intervention in the leadership dispute illustrates the practical function of the chairmanship: bringing member states together when formal voting fails to secure agreement.

It also gives Kenya a channel through which to build relationships before any substantial exportable surplus emerges.

“Kenya by next year will start building surpluses for exports and requires such a platform to create new markets,” Chesire said.

Kenya exported 315.57 tonnes between January and September 2026, compared with 244.80 tonnes during the corresponding period in 2025.

Moving towards sustained exports would therefore require continued production growth, competitive costs and reliable domestic supply. International relationships could help identify buyers and their requirements translating to market access and sales.

A further area of engagement is ethanol and biofuels, with Chesire identifying Brazil as a country from which Kenya wants to learn.

“Conversations are now building up towards biofuels and ethanol production,” he said, adding that Kenya has started the process and is seeking to benchmark with established producers.

The relevance lies partly in the rising volume of molasses produced by Kenyan factories. Molasses can be processed into ethanol, offering an additional use for a by-product of sugar manufacturing.

National molasses production reached 307,617 tonnes between January and September, up 62.1 per cent from 189,809 tonnes a year earlier.

Closing stocks rose to 65,384 tonnes, compared with 12,735 tonnes at the end of September 2025.

The growing stocks give commercial significance to discussions about additional processing capacity and demand. Developing ethanol production would require investment, suitable technology and dependable markets.

Chesire’s mediation at the ISO places Kenya in a stronger position to convene those conversations. The domestic figures establish why they matter: the country is producing considerably more sugar and molasses, importing less sugar overall and recording lower retail prices than a year earlier, while still facing the task of meeting its own requirements consistently.