This archive report was first published on 1 November 2019.
As of 2019, Sony Sugar Company was on the brink of collapse due to years of neglect and cane poaching, according to the company's management.
The company's Acting Managing Director, James Oluoch, warned that the plant needed immediate partial or full maintenance to restore its efficiency and reliability.
Speaking at a meeting with the Nyanza Regional Development Implementation, Coordination Committee (NRDICC), Mr. Oluoch stated that the miller could no longer predict its revenue due to unreliable sugarcane crushing capacity.
The company was in dire need of Sh346 million for thorough maintenance of the plant, but had only requested Sh210 million from the County Government of Migori for partial maintenance.
Mr. Oluoch revealed that the company had failed to carry out annual maintenance in 2017 due to a government request to conserve sugar stocks.
Additionally, the company was facing challenges from neighboring sugar millers who were poaching its contracted cane farmers, leading to a significant decline in revenue.
Former Awendo Member of Parliament Jared K'Opiyo, who is also a board member at Sony, urged the two levels of government to intervene and save struggling sugar millers in Western Kenya, which supported close to 10 million Kenyans.
