Government launches crackdown on milk hawking across the country

The government has launched a nationwide crackdown on milk hawking, warning that the unregulated sale of raw milk poses serious health risks to consumers and is undermining the growth of Kenya’s dairy industry.

Speaking during the flagging off of 25 bulk milk coolers at Uhuru Park in Nairobi, Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the government would move aggressively to dismantle informal milk trading networks that operate outside regulated systems.

“Milk hawking must stop. It is dangerous, it is a health issue and it destroys the ability to create value-added dairy products,” Kagwe said.

The CS warned that millions of Kenyans are consuming milk that cannot be traced, tested or guaranteed safe, exposing families, especially children, to diseases and contamination.

“If you have young children, feed them quality and traceable milk to avoid health issues such as diarrhea,” he added.

Kagwe accused milk hawkers and brokers of weakening dairy cooperatives and processors by bypassing formal milk collection and quality control systems. According to the ministry, the reforms are aimed at improving traceability in the dairy value chain by ensuring processors and cooperatives can identify farmers, monitor production levels and track the source of every litre of milk entering the market.

The crackdown comes as the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development rolls out 230 milk coolers across the country under a Ksh.1.43 billion dairy support programme. The government says the coolers will help reduce milk spoilage, stabilize prices and encourage farmers to supply milk through organized collection centres instead of relying on brokers and hawkers.

So far, 95 coolers have already been distributed, with the remaining units set to be delivered to dairy cooperatives in phases.

A livestock Chief Officer from Kakamega County acknowledged that informal milk traders have weakened formal dairy channels and frustrated efforts to enforce quality standards.

“Many brokers are selling milk directly to consumers. Milk coolers will help organize farmers and reduce hawking,” the official said.

Meanwhile, leaders of milk cooperatives from Machakos County urged the government to improve access to better dairy breeds to increase milk production and boost Kenya’s competitiveness in export markets.

Kagwe said the reforms are intended to position Kenya as a global dairy powerhouse capable of exporting milk powder while protecting farmers from unstable prices during periods of surplus production.

“We want to make sure there is no milk pricing coming down. Rain seasons and dry seasons should not destabilize farmers,” he said.

The CS also announced measures to reduce production costs by encouraging local cultivation of yellow maize and soya beans for animal feed through government-backed leasing programmes.

In addition, the ministry is expanding subsidized sexed semen programmes to improve dairy genetics and increase milk productivity. The subsidy has lowered the cost of sexed semen from Ksh.9,000 to Ksh.1,000.

Kagwe further criticized poor animal welfare practices among some farmers.

“Some farmers put cows in prison. The way we treat cows matters,” he said.

The government says the reforms are expected to create jobs in milk cooling, transport, veterinary services and dairy processing as it restructures the dairy sector around quality assurance, traceability and farmer profitability.