Navakholo farmers endorse Dr Inyagala for KSB director seat

Aspiring upper Western Kenya Sugar Board (KSB) region director Dr. Ronald Inyangala received a major boost after farmers drawn from Navakholo and its environs endorsed him as their candidate of choice in the coming elections.  

In a meeting held at Sivilie in Navakholo sub-county, the farmers unanimously threw their weight behind Dr. Inyangala terming him as better placed and suitable candidate who understands the cane industry well.

Led by their chairman Ronald Wasilwa Ngao, the group confided in Inyangala that they had high hopes he will be able to highlight and bring solutions to the challenges they have been experiencing.

He said the industry was in bad shape due to bad leadership and lack of proper farmer representation.

The group’s patron Henry Lauto said they have vetted all the four candidates contesting for the seat in upper Western region and settled on Dr. Inyangala as the best.

Inyangala vowed that once elected he will push for on-the-farm mobile weighbridges where the farmer knows his canes tonnage at the farm before his produce is transported to the factory.

“Farmers have been counting loses when tractors carrying their canes overturn and spill the canes before reaching the factory and being weighed. But with the process being done at the farm, it will be the responsibility of the miller to cater for the loss,” he said.

At the same time he said it was important to have a director coming from Malava since, despite being the major sugarcane growing zone, it had two working factories (Butali and West Kenya) which pays farmers promptly every week, it lacks proper representation.

He said the upper Western region consisting five counties including Trans Nzoia, Bungoma, Kakamega, Uasin Gishu and Nandi will be under his leadership if elected and called on the farmers from these counties to support his bid of bringing change and sanity in the sugar industry that has been overtaken by brokers and cartels trampling on the farmers’ rights.

“I want to join the Kenya Sugar Board to advocate for the rights of our farmers and ensure that they benefit fully from their produce unlike now where it’s the miller who dictates what the farmer gets from his canes,” he said.

Dr.Inyangala also hinted that he will ensure the millers maintain roads to ease transportation and accidents leading to cane losses and wastage.

He added that he will ensure the farmers get fast growing and disease-free seeds that will fetch them more cash.

He expressed hope that he would emerge the winner and cautioned those vying for the seat with expectations of reaping big from it that it had no salary and only allowances per board sitting.

“The Kenya sugar board directors vacancy is an elective post where candidates from cane growing areas will battle it out for the director’s position and the winner takes it all,  I’m ready to face off my competitors on the ballot and if you think this is a lucrative position to mint money, then you’re mistaken, this is a selfless position where one is expected to serve diligently without expecting much” he cautioned.