Illegal molasses exports surge as local distilleries are left high and dry

A resident of Kanyakwar village collects molasses that spilt from an overturned truck along the Kisumu - Kakamega highway, April 2021. [Collins Oduor, Standard]

A surge in illegal export of molasses has left Kenyan firms teetering on the brink, with distilleries the hardest hit.

Without access to the essential raw material that they use for the production of ethanol, the distillers are operating at a fraction of their capacity.