Awendo Member of Parliament Walter Owino has called on the government to clarify the future of land donated by the local community to the South Nyanza Sugar Company (Sony Sugar) amid plans to lease the company to private investors. Owino emphasized that stakeholders are eager to know whether both the factory and the surrounding land will be included in the lease agreement, and who will ultimately benefit from the land if leased to investors.

In a related development, the Council of Governors has granted sugarcane-growing counties the freedom to apply for leasehold agreements to manage state-owned sugar factories, including Sony Sugar. This move aims to revitalize the struggling sugar industry by attracting competent investors to manage the factories effectively.

These developments underscore the complexities surrounding the management and leasing of sugar factories and associated lands in Kenya’s Nyanza region, with local leaders and stakeholders closely monitoring the situation to safeguard community interests.