Residents of Bura are set for an economic boost after Sukari Industries launched a 40,000-acre sugar cane project expected to create jobs and spur development.
The company has begun clearing bushes and establishing seed cane nurseries within the Bura Irrigation Scheme as part of preparations for large-scale commercial farming under a government-backed irrigation and agricultural investment programme.
The project is expected to create hundreds of jobs, open up business opportunities and accelerate the development of key social amenities, including health and education facilities.
Sukari Industries head of external affairs and communication George Mururi said the company was committed to supporting government efforts to create employment while boosting food production through commercial agriculture. He spoke during a community engagement forum in Chewele village.
“Our objective is to support, complement and supplement government efforts in creating employment, expanding business opportunities and engaging unemployed youth,” Mururi said.
“We firmly believe that our success depends on working hand in hand with the local community, and that is why we are here first to introduce the project and engage the people of Chewele.”
He said the company had been allocated slightly more than 40,000 acres and had begun preparing the land.
“We have already started bush clearing and have cleared about 700 acres, where we are developing seed cane that will later be transplanted to the rest of the farm,” Mururi said.
He said the company also plans to establish a sugar factory within the irrigation scheme, saying transporting harvested cane to its existing factories elsewhere would not be economically viable.
“We shall also be considering putting up a crushing facility because we are unable to evacuate those raw materials to any of our factories elsewhere,” Mururi said.
According to the company, construction of the farming and processing facilities is expected to be completed within the next 18 months, subject to continued support from the local community and local leaders.
Once operational, the project is projected to produce at least 5,000 tonnes of sugar cane in every production cycle.
The investment forms part of a broader public-private partnership between the government and private investors aimed at transforming the Bura Irrigation Scheme into a major agricultural hub through large-scale production of sugar cane and rice.
The initiative gained momentum earlier this year after President William Ruto commissioned the 26-kilometre Bura Gravity Canal, replacing the costly diesel-powered pumping system with a gravity-fed water supply from Kora Kora.
The project paved the way for the leasing of about 100,000 acres to private investors.
Sukari Industries is among the companies allocated land under the programme, with its investment expected to play a key role in unlocking the irrigation scheme’s economic potential.
Local leaders welcomed the investment and urged residents to embrace the project.
Community leader Ramadhani Babisana described it as a rare opportunity to improve livelihoods through employment and community development.
“We have had a very fruitful engagement with the investor on various issues and, as a community, we welcome this company so that we can begin working together,” he said.
“They have assured us that there will be sufficient employment opportunities for our people alongside other infrastructural developments.”
Babisana said although the land belongs to the community, residents lack the financial and technical capacity needed for large-scale commercial farming, making partnerships with investors essential.
He also urged neighbouring communities not to politicise investments capable of transforming the region.
“When the President commissioned the gravity canal, he said this project would become the country’s food basket. Today, we are beginning to see that vision becoming a reality,” Babisana said.
