NAIROBI, Kenya — The government has announced a raft of measures to address Kenya’s milk shortage, linking declining supplies to inadequate rainfall and shrinking fodder availability that has left dairy farmers struggling to feed their cattle.
Principal Secretary for Livestock Development Jonathan Mueke said the government was pursuing both immediate and long-term interventions to restore milk supplies, protect farmers from losses and make the dairy sector more resilient to changing weather patterns.
Speaking in Nairobi on Thursday, Mueke said the immediate priority was ensuring dairy farmers had adequate feed to maintain milk production.
“The real issue is fodder pressure due to lack of rains, and we need to ensure that our cows do not go hungry,” Mueke said.
Government allows yellow maize for animal feed
Mueke said the government had agreed on measures to ease pressure on animal feed following a drought mitigation meeting chaired by President William Ruto.
One of the interventions is allowing yellow maize to supplement maize supplies used in animal feeds, helping address shortages caused by reduced availability of feed ingredients.
“We did have a session on mitigation of drought that was chaired by President William Ruto, and we agreed to supplement the lack of maize that was going for animal feed by allowing yellow maize,” Mueke said.
The government expects improved access to animal feed to help farmers maintain production during the dry period.
State seeks better milk prices for farmers
The government is also seeking to improve the returns dairy farmers receive for their milk, with Mueke warning that poor prices could encourage producers to sell through informal channels.
He said the Kenya Dairy Board would take a leading role in monitoring milk movement and ensuring more milk reaches consumers through formal markets.
“We will ensure the farmers get the right pricing for their milk so that they do not send it informally,” he said.
“The Kenya Dairy Board will take the lead to ensure that we know where the milk is going and put it on the shelves.”
Mueke said ensuring farmers receive better returns would also provide an incentive to maintain or increase milk production.
Dry seasons expose dairy sector vulnerability
Milk production typically declines when farmers face prolonged dry conditions and rises when rainfall improves and pasture and fodder become more readily available.
“When we have a dry season, milk supply goes down, and when the season is good, the milk supply goes up,” Mueke said.
The government is therefore considering measures that would allow surplus milk produced during periods of high supply to be preserved and used when production falls.
Mueke said officials were exploring options including processing or drying milk to create reserves that could help stabilise supplies throughout the year.
Government probes dairy cooperative governance
The government is also examining the operations of dairy cooperatives amid concerns over governance and the amount of revenue reaching farmers.
Mueke said some cooperatives were reportedly buying milk at about Sh60 per litre but passing only a small share of the proceeds to producers.
“We have also realised that some of the cooperatives have governance issues, buying milk at Sh60 and passing very little to the farmers. This is disincentivising the farmer from producing milk,” Mueke said.
He said he had engaged the Principal Secretary responsible for cooperatives over the concerns.
According to Mueke, a circular would be issued to remind cooperatives of their regulatory obligations and ensure they operate within the required framework.
“We have gotten in touch with the PS of Cooperatives and we have agreed that a circular will be sent out to ensure that they operate within the regulations,” he said.
Government looks to regional markets
As the government works to increase domestic milk availability, it is also exploring options within the wider region to bridge the immediate supply gap.
Mueke said authorities were looking beyond Kenya for additional solutions as they work to ensure adequate supplies reach consumers.
“We are also looking across the region for other solutions so that normalcy comes back to our shelves,” Mueke said.
The approach is intended to provide short-term relief while longer-term interventions are developed to strengthen domestic production and reduce the impact of recurring dry-season shortages.
State targets long-term milk security
Mueke said the government was confident that the measures under consideration would help restore milk supplies while addressing structural challenges facing dairy farmers.
The proposed interventions range from improving access to animal feed and farmer prices to strengthening cooperative governance and developing ways to preserve milk during periods of high production.
The government’s immediate challenge is to restore supplies to the market while ensuring that interventions do not undermine dairy farmers’ earnings.
“We have had a good meeting and I believe we understand where the gap is, and we will bring normalcy in the short term,” Mueke said.
