By Peter Ochieng

Kisumu governor Anyang’ Nyong’o has challenged his colleagues in the Lake Region Economic Block (LREB) circuit to push for reforms in the sugar sector.

Speaking during the 11th LREB summit in Migori county, Nyong’o said the future of the sugar industry squarely lies in their hands.

Nyong’o is the current LREB chairman, having succeeded former Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya in 2022.

He says time has come for sugarcane to be categorised as food as is the case for tea and sugar, rather than a commodity.

“One outstanding message was that Ssugarcane, just like tea and coffee must now be classified as food and not a commodity. I want to assure this summit that we will accept the challenge and aggressively push for the required reforms in the industry,” said Nyong’o.

LREB brings together 14 counties namely; Busia, Siaya, Trans Nzoia, Bungoma, Vihiga, Kakamega, Kisumu, Homabay, Migori, Kisii, Nyamira, Nandi, Kericho and Bomet.

Nyong’o said the region is blessed with blue economy resources, which if well utilised can lead to tremendous economic growth within LREB devolved units.

“Developing nations today, have woken up to the reality of existence of wealth, not only in the oceans, but also in inland waters including rivers. These blue economy resources, if harnessed
sustainably, can transform the livelihoods of communities that live within the Lake Victoria basin.”

Nyong’o who is serving his second and last term as Kisumu governor says LREB has scaled many heights in various sectors, among them education, water, environment and climate change, infrastructure and the production sector.

In health, he said they have made significant achievements.

“In Kisumu, we have built a drone center, with the help of an American company called Zipline. These drones, will be used to collect and deliver drugs, blood samples, and other health products. We envisage to use this drone service in the entire LREB catchment,” he added.

This year’s LREB summit went down from 14th March to 16th March, 2023 under the theme: Partnerships for Sustainable Development: County Responses to Blue Economy and Climate Change Adaptation.