Chai tea lovers unhappy as cows run dry
Kenya is experiencing a severe milk shortage, impacting the availability of the country's staple beverage, chai. The government attributes the scarcity to drought, while retailers and consumers struggle with empty shelves and rising prices.
Why it matters
The shortage highlights the vulnerability of local food supply chains to climate-related events and the cultural importance of dairy in the region.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Basillioh Rukanga Nairobi Getty Images Chai, made by boiling tea in generous amounts of milk, is sometimes flavoured with ginger and spices Kenyans love their milky tea, or chai, but some are facing the worrying possibility of doing without as the country has been hit by a milk shortage.
A breakfast here is often incomplete without a cup of chai, made by boiling tea in generous amounts of milk, sometimes flavoured with ginger and spices. It is often served at meetings and during social visits, with many people taking the hot brew several times a day.
But now some may have to do without as supermarket chilled sections are nearly empty. Retailers have upped the price and are limiting how much shoppers can take home.
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