Ministry picks new officers to manage sugar institutions

Ministry of Agriculture has appointed new officers on interim basis to manage key institutions in the sugar industry almost one month after President William Ruto signed into law the Sugar Act, No. 11 of 2024.

Cabinet Secretary Andrew Karanja (pictured) picked Jude Chesire to take over the Kenya Sugar Board (KSB) as acting managing director and Crispine Omondi a seasoned researcher to manage Kenya Sugar Research and Training Institute (KSRTR) respectively.

At the same time, Karanja in a notice issued last Thursday constituted a transition Committee on implementation of the Sugar Act.

“The Act provides for the development, regulation, and promotion of the sugar industry. It establishes the Kenya Sugar Board (KSB) and the Kenya Sugar Research and Training Institute (KSRTR). I have appointed Acting Chief Executive Officers for both institutions,” the CS said.

Chesire is not a stranger in the sugar industry as until his appointment he was the director in charge of sugar directorate under the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) since April 2023.

He was part of the team that drafted the sugar policy and also a former KSB staff. Kenya Sugar board was part of other former crops regulatory organizations that were collapsed together to form AFA on February 28, 2014.

The KSB will now regulate and manage the sugar industry as the previously, the functions were being handled by the AFA.
Kenya Sugar Research and Training Institute will assume the sugar research functions that were previously under the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (Kalro). Omondi who was appointed to head (KSRTI) was until his appointment the institute director under Kalro for the last six years.

Between 2010 and 2013 Omondi was the director /CEO of Kenya Sugar Research Foundation (KESREF), before the same was collapsed with other research foundations to form Kalro in 2013. Before joining KESREF, Omondi was the deputy director at the then Coffee Research Foundation (CRF) at Ruiru in Kiambu County.

The new Sugar Act provides that persons who were members of staff of the former Kenya Sugar Board before the commencement of the AFA Act 2013, currently serving the Authority and those in the AFA Sugar Directorate shall transition to become staff members of the Board.

The legislation also provides for representation of growers, private and public owned sugar mills in the Kenya Sugar Board. The Ministry in consultation with the County Governments and other stakeholders will develop procedures for election of these representatives.

Coffee Board of Kenya is likely to be reconstituted once the Coffee Bill in the National Assembly is enacted into law.