How Bungoma's Cane Economy Drives Political Tension.
By Humprey Wekesa
Bungoma County remains at the heart of Kenya's Western sugar belt, where sugarcane farming sustains thousands of households in Bumula, Mayanja and Nzoia.
However, the sector continues to struggle years after the collapse of Mumias Sugar Company and the financial challenges facing Nzoia Sugar Company, leaving many farmers grappling with delayed payments, reduced incomes and declining acreage under cane. These economic hardships have increasingly become a rallying point in local politics, with leaders promising factory revival and timely farmer payments ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Political tensions in the county have intensified in recent months. In April 2026, supporters of Bumula MP Jack Wamboka staged demonstrations along the Mumias–Bungoma highway after he was suspended as chairperson of the National Assembly's Public Investments Committee (PIC) pending investigations into misconduct allegations. Protesters barricaded sections of the highway with burning tyres and logs, disrupting traffic and trade between Kenya and Uganda, while Wamboka's supporters described the move as politically motivated. Parliamentary leaders, however, maintained that the suspension was an administrative measure pending investigations.
The sugar industry remains central to Bungoma's electoral politics. Control of sugar factories, reforms in cane zoning, and the settlement of farmers' arrears continue to shape political alliances and voter sentiment across Western Kenya. Opposition leaders touring the region in June 2026 accused the government of neglecting the sugar sector, particularly Nzoia Sugar Company, while the government has defended ongoing reforms aimed at reviving state-owned millers.
Economically, instability within the sugar belt continues to carry national consequences. Disruptions along the Mumias–Bungoma transport corridor affect the movement of sugar, agricultural produce and cargo destined for Uganda and the wider East African region. As Kenya moves closer to the 2027 elections, Bungoma's cane farmers remain caught between economic uncertainty, political rivalry and an industry whose recovery remains one of the region's defining campaign issues.
