President William Ruto has proposed introducing buffalo milk production in Kenya as part of a broader strategy to diversify the country’s dairy sector and ease a worsening milk shortage.
Speaking at the Agriculture and Food Transformation Summit held at the ASK Showground, the President said Kenya should explore alternative sources of milk, pointing to countries such as India where buffaloes are widely reared for commercial dairy production.
Ruto revealed that he has directed the Livestock Principal Secretary to explore the introduction of improved camel and buffalo breeds to boost national milk output. He argued that if buffalo milk production has proven successful elsewhere, Kenya should be willing to test its viability.
According to the President, expanding dairy production beyond traditional cattle farming is becoming increasingly important as climate-related challenges continue to affect milk supply.
He noted that buffaloes are known to produce significant quantities of milk, while camels present an equally promising opportunity due to the growing demand for their milk.
The Head of State highlighted the strong commercial potential of camel milk, noting that a litre can retail for between Sh180 and Sh200 in urban markets, nearly three times the price of cow’s milk. This, he said, could create a lucrative income stream for livestock farmers while helping bridge supply gaps in the dairy market.
Buffalo milk is widely consumed across South Asia and is valued for its rich nutritional profile. Compared to cow’s milk, it contains higher levels of butterfat, protein and calcium, making it particularly suitable for manufacturing products such as cheese, butter, yoghurt and ghee.
Like all animal milk products, however, it requires proper pasteurisation before consumption to ensure food safety.
Struggling dairy milk industry
The proposal comes as Kenya’s dairy industry struggles with declining milk production driven by prolonged drought, shrinking pasture reserves and rising animal feed costs. These challenges have significantly reduced milk deliveries to processors, creating supply pressures across the country.
Industry data shows that formal milk deliveries declined from 84.4 million litres in June to 81.3 million litres in July before falling further to about 75 million litres in August.
The drop has contributed to shortages on supermarket shelves and pushed retail milk prices up by as much as 30 percent in some areas.
Major towns and cities, including Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru, have felt the impact of the supply crunch, with high consumer demand stretching available stocks. Some retailers have reportedly limited the number of milk packets customers can purchase as processors grapple with reduced supplies.
The Kenya Dairy Board has warned that the shortage could persist for several more weeks, prolonging challenges for consumers and manufacturers. Agriculture officials have linked the crisis largely to drought conditions and the soaring cost of commercial animal feeds, although sector stakeholders have also cited long-standing fodder shortages and structural challenges within the dairy industry.
In response, the government has rolled out measures aimed at stabilising supply, including the deployment of bulk milk cooling infrastructure and efforts to improve efficiency within the dairy value chain. The push to introduce buffalo and improved camel breeds forms part of a wider government plan to strengthen livestock genetics, increase agricultural productivity and build resilience against climate shocks.
However, experts note that establishing a buffalo dairy industry would require careful planning. Factors such as breed selection, feeding systems, water availability, disease management, processing infrastructure and overall commercial viability would need to be assessed before large-scale adoption can take place.
If implemented successfully, buffalo milk production could offer Kenya a new pathway to diversify its dairy sector, strengthen food security and cushion consumers against future milk shortages.
