Kenya maintains sugar import controls post-COMESA exit – FAS
Kenya keeps regulating sugar imports despite ending COMESA safeguards, as falling prices and rising domestic production reshape the country’s sugar market outlook.
KENYA – Kenya continues to regulate sugar import volumes from COMESA member states despite exiting its 24-year protectionist regime, according to a report by the US Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) dated April 6, 2026.
The agency said Nairobi still manages imports through a licensing system, even after ending long-standing sugar safeguards in November 2025 and shifting to a duty-free regime for COMESA and East African Community (EAC) partners.
“Sugar from non-Comesa countries still face a 100 percent tariff, unless the government requests a waiver under the EAC customs protocol due to local shortages,” FAS said.
Retail sugar prices are expected to decline in the early months of the 2026/2027 marketing year, which begins in May, supported by a rebound in domestic production and improved sugarcane availability.
“This downward trend is expected to level off as duty-free imports from Comesa bridge any remaining supply gap,” the agency said.
Prices have already shown a downward trend. Retail sugar prices fell to Ksh166.56 ($1.28) per kilogramme in March 2026, compared to Ksh185.20 ($1.42) in September 2025, largely due to the removal of safeguard measures.
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) reported that prices dropped by 4.37% in February to Ksh166.56 ($1.29) per kilogramme, from Ksh174.17 ($1.35) in January, marking the steepest monthly decline in 22 months.
“These retail prices are also heavily influenced by the raw material costs set by the Cane Pricing Committee, a regulatory body composed of government officials, millers and growers,” the report noted. “This committee has maintained the cane purchase price at Ksh5,500 ($42.30) per tonne since May 2025, providing a predictable cost base for the industry.”
In March, retail sugar averaged Ksh166,560 ($1,280) per tonne, while wholesale prices stood at Ksh156,000 ($1,200) per tonne.
FAS projects a structural shift in the sugar market in the 2026/2027 marketing year, with imports expected to decline to 370,000 tonnes from 510,000 tonnes in 2025/2026. This reflects a recovery in domestic output driven by sector reforms and improved milling capacity.
“While imports remain consistently higher than the previous year, a defining shift in the market occurred after December 2025, after Kenya exited the long-standing Comesa sugar safeguards on November 30, allowing for less restrictive regional trade,” the agency said.
Production is forecast to rise by 40.5% to 850,000 tonnes in 2026/2027, up from 605,000 tonnes in the previous year. The increase is attributed to expanded harvested area and improved agronomic practices.
“The restored Kenya Sugar Board boosted the enforcement of local crop calendars to stop early harvesting of cane, a habit that formerly lowered yields,” FAS said. “About 3,000 hectares will be in newly opened cultivation areas.”
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