Rai Group to Invest KSh 4.2 billion in New Nandi County Sugar Factory

West Kenya Sugar, part of the Rai Group, will build a KSh 4.2 billion plant in Chesumei, Nandi County, capable of crushing 1,500 tonnes of cane daily, expanding the group’s milling capacity to over 18,000 tonnes per day.

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West Kenya Sugar, a subsidiary of the Rai Group, announced plans to construct a new sugar factory in Chesumei sub‑county, Nandi County.

The project is budgeted at KSh 4.2 billion (approximately USD 32 million) and is designed to crush 1,500 tonnes of sugarcane each day.

When operational, the new plant will raise the combined daily processing capacity of all Rai Group mills to more than 18,000 tonnes, reinforcing its status as a leading private sugar producer in Kenya.

The Nandi factory follows the group’s earlier acquisition of the Nzoia Sugar mill under a 30‑year lease signed in May 2025, which included a KSh 4,000 per tonne production fee, a KSh 208.3 million goodwill payment and a KSh 5.76 billion investment commitment.

The expansion aligns with Kenya’s policy of leasing state‑owned sugar mills to private operators to revive domestic sugar production, a strategy highlighted by Billionaires Africa in reference to the Nandi development.

Jaswant Rai, chairman of the Rai Group, oversees a portfolio that includes West Kenya Sugar, which markets its product under the Kabras brand alongside the Olepito, Sukari and Naitiri factories, together accounting for roughly half of Kenya’s private milling capacity.