By WMW
The government has intensified efforts to regulate Kenya’s dairy sector, announcing a nationwide crackdown on milk hawking alongside sweeping reforms aimed at improving food safety, boosting farmer incomes, and transforming the country into a globally competitive dairy producer.
Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe warned that the unregulated sale of raw milk poses serious public health risks and undermines the development of the formal dairy value chain.
Speaking yesterday during the flagging off of 25 bulk milk coolers at Uhuru Park in Nairobi, Kagwe said milk hawking must be phased out because it exposes consumers, especially children, to unsafe and untraceable milk products.
“Milk hawking must stop. It is dangerous, it is a health issue and it destroys the ability to create value-added dairy products,” he said.
He added that millions of Kenyans consume milk that cannot be tested or traced, increasing risks of contamination and disease while also denying farmers better earnings through structured processing systems such as yogurt, cheese, and milk powder production.
The CS accused informal milk brokers and hawkers of weakening cooperatives and processors by bypassing quality control systems and selling raw milk directly to consumers.
As part of the reforms, the ministry is rolling out 230 milk coolers countrywide under a Sh1.43 billion dairy support programme. The coolers are intended to reduce spoilage, stabilize prices, and encourage farmers to supply milk through organized collection centers rather than informal markets.
So far, 95 coolers have already been deployed, with the rest expected to be distributed to dairy cooperatives in phases across the country.
The government says the reforms will strengthen traceability systems, requiring processors and cooperatives to identify milk sources, farmers, and production volumes to enhance accountability and food safety.
County officials and dairy sector stakeholders have supported the reforms, noting that informal milk trade has weakened formal supply chains and made quality control difficult.
The reforms also form part of a broader strategy to modernize the dairy industry through improved genetics, feed production, and market stabilization measures. The government is rolling out subsidized sexed semen programmes aimed at increasing high-yield dairy cattle, with costs reduced significantly from Sh9,000 to Sh1,000.
At the same time, farmers are being encouraged to grow animal feed crops such as yellow maize and soya beans locally to reduce production costs and dependency on imports.
The ministry further criticized poor animal welfare practices in some farms, urging farmers to improve cow housing and care standards to enhance productivity.
Kagwe said the reforms are designed to stabilize milk prices throughout seasonal fluctuations, ensuring farmers are protected from market shocks during periods of high or low production.
He added that Kenya is targeting long-term transformation of the dairy sector into a major export industry while creating jobs across milk collection, transport, veterinary services, and processing value chains.
The government maintains that the crackdown on milk hawking is not merely punitive, but part of a wider restructuring of the dairy economy toward safety, efficiency, and increased farmer profitability.
Similar Posts by Mt Kenya Times:
- IEBC outlines 2027 General Election preparations
- Nyoro: Parliament begins fuel price review
- Democratic Party of Kenya blames government for fuel crisis
- Court ends blanket teenage defilement charges
- Orengo’s Guard Gone
Suleiman Mbatiah 
Felix Njenga