Kenya Sugar Board Dismisses Claims of Harmful Sugar

Claims that 1.5 billion shillings worth of harmful sugar made its way into the country have been dismissed by the Kenya Sugar Board.

The authority stated that no unsafe shipment had been released by the government and the regulator stated that reports that the imported industrial sugar had been repackaged and supplied to consumers were untrue.

‘The accusation that an installment of harmful sugar, costing Ksh 1.5bn has been imported in the country, repackaged and supplied to the local market is untrue. No harmful sugar has been released for consumption’, read a statement.

The disputed consignment is at a customs bonded warehouse in Mombasa, under security while customs clearance is ongoing.

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Regulation and Oversight of Imported Industrial Sugar in Kenya

Authorities stated that Mombasa Sugar Refinery Limited was the importer and it is an authorized refinery by the East African Community Council of Ministers, allowed to import cane sugar for industrial processing.

According to the regulator, the consignment is 27,000 metric tons of raw cane sugar which was shipped into the country without being channeled to local markets for sale or diversion.

The Kenya Sugar Board said it’s a part of a multi-agency team established in March 2026 to oversee the consignment handling by the National Treasury Cabinet Secretary.

They stated that officials from the Kenya Revenue Authority, the Kenya Bureau of Standards, the state department of industry and the police service make up the team.

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Sugar Imports and Industrial Use Regulations in Kenya

Kenya Sugar stated that the sugar is for industrial purposes, as it is used by factories and other food industries, unlike common table sugar.

According to the board, there is an annual audit that is carried out on manufacturers using sugar under the duty remission regime in order to confirm their capacity.

Authorities stated that Kenya is importing sugar as it has an inability to meet national demand for the commodity, only managing 611,576 metric tons versus the demand of 1,152,205 metric tons in 2025.

According to the board, the Sugar Act of 2024 is being enforced so that no industrial sugar makes its way to the local market.

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