I refer to the Article entitled “Kenya cuts Uganda’s sugar export quota by 79 per cent” that was published in The Daily Monitor on 27^th August 2021.  In the Article, it is claimed that Kenya has cut Uganda’s Sugar Export Quota by 79 percent, from 90,000MT annually to 18,923 MT. The Article is a misrepresentation of facts.  And the author did not seek input from the responsible Government institutions before publication.

To put the record straight, I wish to point out the following:

1. Uganda’s sugar export to Kenya is governed by two regimes: under the COMESA Kenya Sugar Safeguard, and the EAC/Bilateral trade regimes.
2. Following the April 2021 Uganda-Kenya Bilateral Ministerial meeting, Uganda’s annual sugar export quota to Kenya was increased from 55,000MT to 90,000MT; consisting of both the COMESA Kenya Sugar Safeguard and the bilateral quotas.

• Under the COMESA Kenya Sugar Safeguard, the quota available to all COMESA sugar exporting countries, including Uganda, is calculated using a formula adopted by the COMESA Council of Ministers. The formula assigns a weight of 30% to ‘Intra-COMESA Sugar Trade’ and 70% to Surplus Sugar for each respective country, applied in context of the projected Kenya sugar deficit.
• The data used in application of the formula is from internationally accredited sources, notably the International Sugar Organization (ISO) and the COMESA.
• In view of (iii) and (iv) above, the sugar export quota available to Uganda in 2021 under the COMESA Kenya Sugar Safeguard window is 18,923.63MT. The balance of the 90,000MT annual quota (i.e. 71,076.37MT) is catered for under the EAC/Bilateral window.  In fact, as at end of June 2021, Uganda had exported 31,256.95MT to Kenya – well above the 18,923.63MT that the Daily Monitor Story claims to be the new quota allocation after the ‘79 per cent cut’.

Therefore, The Daily Monitor story only considered the quota available under the COMESA Kenya Sugar Safeguard window and left out the bilateral window. Subsequently, there was a misrepresentation of facts.

The public is urged to note the correct information as provided above, and disregard The Daily Monitor story.  I also urge the media to always crosscheck facts with relevant Authorities before publishing information, especially information that can potentially have a negative impact of bilateral relations between Uganda and her partners.

 Geraldine Ssali

PERMANENT SECRETARY

Read Full Statement:Uganda-Kenya Sugar Export Press Release