SONY farmers raise alarm over plot to auction nuclear estate

Leaders representing cane farmers from South Nyanza have expressed concern over the potential auction of South Nyanza Sugar Company (SONY) due to an unpaid loan from the Cooperative Bank of Kenya. Speaking at the company's grounds, the South Nyanza Sugar Cane Farmers’ Secretary General Argwings Adongo stated that the company owes over Ksh 862 million as of July 2026.

The company was notified in July 2025 but did not comply with the loan repayment. Consequently, over 4,000 acres of the sugar estate are at risk of being auctioned. The bank provided a 40-day notice of sale on July 14, 2026. This proposed sale has raised alarm among farmers, as the land is vital to sugarcane production and the livelihoods of the region's people.

Adongo criticized the government for not settling the loan before leasing the property to Busia Sugar Company Limited in 2025. John Omollo, Chairperson of South Nyanza Sugar Company's sugarcane farmers, emphasized that the nuclear land was donated by residents of Awendo in the 1970s for the company's use. He stressed the importance of preserving the land and called upon the government and county leadership to intervene and help resolve the financial issues facing the company.