Kenya’s milk shortage: Chai tea lovers unhappy as cows run dry

Customers at Nairobi supermarkets on the hunt for milk told the BBC they were worried about rising costs.

“Sometimes when I go to the supermarket I find there is none. When I do find some, the price has gone up. Today it is this price, tomorrow it has gone up again,” said Bernard Abok, who does his shopping after finishing work.

Patricia Gathoni said if the prices kept going up she would have to rethink what she gave her children, saying she had resorted to adding water to the milk that she managed to buy.

On Thursday, agriculture ministry officials held a meeting with the association of dairy processors about the problem, with the ministry committing to support farmers, stabilise milk supply and protect consumers.

The ministry’s top official in charge of livestock development, Jonathan Mueke, said the immediate focus was to get more feed for farmers, including through duty-free importation of yellow maize.

He said they were also looking at longer-term solutions that would manage stability across periods when there was surplus milk and when there were shortages.

Reports of milk going to waste are not uncommon during periods of a dairy glut. Farmers have often complained about how little they are paid for their perishable produce at such times – but they have few options because of limited processing or storage capacity.

According to Mueke, the government is considering setting up a fund to help support the preservation of milk during such periods.

In the meantime, the government is also considering temporarily importing milk from the neighbouring countries to ease the shortage.

For the devoted Kenyan chai lover, that may offer some respite.

Additional reporting by Ahmed Bahajj