Milk shortage hits Kenya as deliveries fall, prices rise

Consumers in Nairobi and other parts of the country are facing limited milk supplies, with some supermarkets reporting empty shelves and fewer brands and pack sizes.

Traders said deliveries have declined, while some outlets have also reported price increases of between Ksh.3 and Ksh.5 for a 500-millilitre packet. The Kenya Dairy Board revealed that the shortage is temporary and largely seasonal.

Several outlets in Nairobi and its environs have reported limited stocks, with some popular brands missing from the shelves altogether.

In Kawangware, traders said their challenge is not demand, but supply, with distributors delivering smaller quantities than usual.

“Kwa sasa ukiangalia, niko na brand moja peke yake ambayo ni Brookside, na on the normal day nakuwa na supply of other brands," Joel Mburu, a supermarket branch manager, stated.

"Kama hiyo Tuzo unaweza uza in a day like 80 cartons, na hiyo ESL yake kama 50 cartons. Lakini kwa sasa hata hiyo supply ya 80 haupati. Ni kama utapata 20, 10, 30, hiyo ndiyo range unapata.”

The squeeze is also being felt in prices, with the cost of a 500-millilitre packet increasing by between Ksh.3 and Ksh.5 in some outlets.

“For the last two weeks maziwa imekuwa ikitoka Ksh.62 to Ksh.63 bob for Tuzo, lakini kwa sasa iko Ksh.65 to Ksh.68. Naye sasa ukiangalia ESL ile soft cover ilikuwa inatoka kitu Ksh.50 to Ksh.55, lakini kwa sasa inatoka Ksh.58 to Ksh.60,” Mburu noted.

Milk processors in key producing areas such as Kericho are also lamenting the decline in supply.

“What the cooperatives societies are really collecting now is below 60 per cent because the most important and most reliable problem we are seeing is the short rainfall that has reduced the production of fodder. Another issue is the high cost of fuel," Moses Rotich, chairman of Kericho Dairy Cooperative Union, stated.

"When the fuel went up, farmers who used to conserve feed cannot conserve because they are conserving using diesel in tractors, and currently there is no feed in reserves,”

In a statement, the Kenya Dairy Board said formal milk deliveries to processors fell by 3.7 per cent, from 84.4 million litres in June to 81.3 million litres in July.

The board said preliminary indications point to a further decline in August, largely due to seasonal production conditions.

It said the prevailing dry and cold weather in key milk-producing areas has affected pasture and fodder availability, with pasteurised milk more affected than long-life varieties.

The milk shortage is highlighting growing pressure across Kenya’s dairy supply chain. With formal milk intake declining, attention is now turning to how quickly supply can be restored and prices stabilised.