Got milk? Not in Kenya, here's why
Kenyan consumers are facing significant milk shortages and rising prices due to adverse weather conditions affecting production. Major milk brands have disappeared from supermarket shelves, prompting retailers to limit purchases as processors struggle with reduced raw milk intake.
Why it matters
The shortage highlights the vulnerability of food supply chains to climate-related disruptions and the resulting economic strain on households already dealing with inflation.
An attendant sorts various milk brands at Chieni Supermarkets in Nyeri town.
Kenyan consumers are feeling the pinch as popular milk brands disappear from supermarket shelves across the country due to the dry weather.
As a result, the intermittent milk shortages have pushed up prices because processors are receiving less raw milk.
The shortages are being reported as formal-sector milk intake weakened in the first half of 2026, falling 0.6 per cent to 513.32 million litres down from 516.34 million litres, according to official data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).
The decline has tightened supplies available to processors at a time when dry conditions have reduced milk production in parts of Kenya, limiting an important source of supply.
Read: Return of 'Maziwa ya Nyayo'? First lady seeks to revive school milk programme
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