The government and dairy sector players have launched a milk safety initiative geared towards improving quality for small-scale informal dairy businesses by ensuring access to regulated markets and capacity development through a certification scheme.
The ‘MoreMilk 2’ initiative is designed to also empower consumers to increasingly demand for safer, high-quality milk and strengthen gender equity by fostering collaboration between men and women in the informal sector.
The initiative, being led by the Kenya Dairy Board (KDB) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), aims to enhance milk safety, regulatory compliance and market access for small dairy businesses.
KDB Managing Director Margaret Kibogy said that Kenya is a top producer of milk in the continent with an annual production of 4.6 billion liters. Kenya is also leading in the per capita milk consumption with each Kenyan consuming an average of 86.1 liters per year with plans to increase it to 130 liters where the country was before.
“We are processing about one billion liters of milk annually with 85 percent of it being Ultra High Temperature (UHT) and fresh milk with 0.1 percent going to high value products like ghee, cheese and butter leaving us to supplement the demand for the high value products through importation,” said Kibogy.
The MD highlighted that the high value milk products offer an opportunity for vendors and small-scale informal dairy businesses to venture into and regularize their businesses.
She added that Kenya’s informal dairy sector, which accounts for about three quarters of the country’s milk supply, is set to undergo a major transformation with the launch of the more milk for lives and livelihoods in Kenya initiative.
State Department of Livestock Development Secretary Administration Dr. Joshua Chepchieng said that the government’s long-term vision is to have a formalized dairy sector that provides safe milk and contributes to nutrition security, health, and economic growth with the ‘MoreMilk 2’ being an essential step towards achieving this vision.
Chepchieng said that this scheme will support gradual transition of small-scale informal dairy businesses into certified enterprises that offer safe and quality dairy products targeting small-scale dairy businesses in Nakuru, Nyandarua and Uasin Gishu counties.
He highlighted that the initiative will address current challenges by improving milk handling practices and ensuring regulatory compliance while empowering vendors to thrive, and enhancing consumer trust.
“The initiative aligns with Kenya’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), which identifies dairy as a priority value chain for development. By focusing on the three counties, the project intends to create a business case that demonstrates the feasibility of scaling up to support the government’s objective of increasing milk sales through regulated markets from less than 20% to 50%,” said Chepchieng.
ILRI Director General Appolinaire Djikeng said that the four-year project is funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) explaining that the partnership is pivotal in transforming Kenya’s informal dairy sector by combining research and regulatory expertise, improving milk safety, enhancing livelihoods, and driving national food security and public health progress.
“Together, we are building a professionalized, sustainable industry that benefits millions,” said Djikeng.
According to Djikeng, the initiative is also geared towards improving the incomes for players in the dairy sector which is in line with their strategy under CGIAR of ensuring that dairy is an important commodity for sustainable livestock development.
ILRI Principal Scientist/Project Lead Silvia Alonso said that building on the success of the original MoreMilk project, and continuing to be grounded on sound research, this initiative aims to create a sustainable model that not only supports small businesses but also protects the health and well-being of Kenyan families.
The informal dairy sector in Kenya plays a critical role in the nation’s economy and nutrition, providing affordable milk to millions of households.
Dairy vendors serve as trusted ambassadors for nutrition, health, and food safety in their communities. Despite their important role in society, they face significant challenges, including lack of adequate support, inability to adhere to best milk handling practices and regulatory requirements and difficulties to check and maintain product quality and safety.
The MoreMiLK: more milk for lives and livelihoods in Kenya phase one showed that vendors are able to improve their milk handling practices when given the right support and capacity building, the MoreMiLK: more milk for lives and livelihoods in Kenya phase two project seeks to support informal dairy vendors to improve the quality and safety of milk sold in the semi-regulated markets.
The project will encourage consumers to buy from trusted and compliant businesses while empowering informal dairy operators to access new operations.
By Joseph Ng’ang’a