President William Ruto has proposed introducing buffalo farming and increasing camel milk production to boost milk supply and increase farmers’ income.
Speaking at the Agriculture and Food Security Summit at Jamhuri Park in Nairobi on Friday, October 9, Ruto said the government should explore importing improved camel breeds and introducing buffaloes for milk production.
He said he had asked Jonathan Mueke, the Principal Secretary for Livestock Development, to help source better camel breeds and consider bringing buffaloes into the country, noting that the animals were already used for milk production in India.
Ruto proposed starting buffalo farming on a small scale to assess whether the animals could be successfully milked in Kenya.
“We should also explore better breeds of camels and consider buffalo farming because buffaloes produce a lot of milk. We can start on a small scale and see how we can milk buffaloes,” Ruto said.
Ruto Backs Plan to Develop Camel Farming
The President also backed a proposal by a camel farmer Mohamed Hassan to give camel milk production more attention, saying Kenya needs a structured plan to develop the camel industry.
Also Read: Why Kenyans Are Paying More for Milk, Flour and Vegetables
He said the plan should cover camel milk, meat, and hides, allowing farmers to benefit from more than milk alone.
Ruto cited the price of camel milk in urban areas, saying it sold for about KSh180 per litre, nearly three times the price of cow’s milk.
He said improved camel breeds could help farmers increase production and earn more, especially in drought-affected areas.
Ruto Says Kenya Is Africa’s Largest Milk Producer
Ruto’s proposals came a day after he announced Kenya had become Africa’s largest milk producer, following an increase in annual production from about 4.5 billion litres to 5.6 billion litres the previous year.
Speaking on Thursday, October 8, 2026, the President attributed the increase to agricultural reforms, including reduced fertiliser prices that had helped farmers produce fodder and silage for their livestock.
He said the government intended to increase production further while ensuring that farmers received better returns from their work.
“Farmers must put money in their pockets. Milk farmers today, you were getting KSh35 four years ago; today it is KSh50 to KSh60, and we will move it. It’s not just the price going up; we are producing more milk today,” Ruto stated.
He added that the country had increased its annual milk production from about 4.5 billion litres to 5.6 billion litres, saying Kenya had overtaken other African countries to take the lead in milk production.
“We’ve moved production from about 4.5 billion litres to 5.6 billion litres last year. In fact, Kenya has overtaken the other two countries; we are now the largest milk producer in Africa. We want to improve it further,” he said.
Also Read: Kenya Turns to Uganda for Milk as Local Supply Falls Short
Dry Weather Contributes to Milk Shortage
Despite the reported increase in annual production, consumers in several urban areas have recently struggled to find fresh milk in supermarkets and neighbourhood shops.
Reports from Nairobi have described empty supermarket shelves, limited supplies and some retailers restricting the number of packets customers can purchase.
The shortage is linked to reduced milk deliveries to processors, with dry weather reducing pasture availability and raising the cost of animal feed.
Data from the Kenya Dairy Board showed that formal milk intake fell from 84.4 million litres in June 2026 to approximately 81.3 million litres in July, representing a decline of about 3.7 per cent.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has attributed the shortage to dry weather, which has reduced pasture and fodder availability while increasing the cost of feeding dairy cattle.
“There is a 5.8 per cent drop in milk arriving at processors,” Kagwe said, adding that drought had affected the quality and availability of feed for livestock. He ruled out foot-and-mouth disease as the cause of the shortage.
The decline in deliveries has affected the volumes available to processors and retailers. Although annual production may increase, the amount of milk reaching processing plants can fluctuate depending on weather conditions, feed availability and farmers’ ability to maintain output.
Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) has criticised the government’s handling of the shortage, calling it a foreseeable problem that could have been managed better.
The consumer lobby says commercial animal feed costs have risen by nearly 45 per cent, placing additional pressure on smallholder farmers, who account for about 80 per cent of Kenya’s milk supply.
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