Consumers across Kenya are facing an acute shortage of milk, leaving supermarket shelves empty and forcing major retail outlets to impose strict buying limits on shoppers.
Popular brands like Brookside, Tuzo, and KCC have disappeared from several retail chains in urban centers, particularly across Nairobi. Outlets such as Naivas Supermarket have begun rationing sales, limiting customers to a maximum of two milk cartons per visit as suppliers deliver less than a quarter of regular stock orders.
Raw milk prices at neighborhood dairies have jumped from KSh 70 to KSh 80 per liter within days.
Standard 500ml packets have increased by KSh 4 to KSh 12, reaching KSh 65 to KSh 80 depending on the vendor and retail point.
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) data shows formal-sector milk intake fell by 5% from 88.89 million liters in May 2026 to 84.44 million liters in June 2026.
Poor rainfall in key agricultural zones has severely limited natural pasture, while commercial feed costs have surged by roughly 45%.
Smallholder dairy farmers, who supply 80% of the nation’s milk, report daily milk yields dropping from 7–9 liters per cow down to just 4–5 liters.
The Kenya Dairy Board confirmed that struggling farmers are actively selling off productive cows they can no longer afford to feed.
The Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) has criticized government handling of the situation and issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Ministry of Agriculture. COFEK is calling for:
Immediate tax waivers on feed ingredients like yellow maize and soya to ease costs for dairy farmers.
Transparency regarding why milk powder from the 2025 surplus was not built into strategic food reserves to buffer current shortfalls.
A temporary, duty-free import window for powdered and UHT milk if domestic supply continues to slide.
