President William Ruto addressing the Agriculture and Food Security Transformation Summit at Jamhuri ASK Showground, Nairobi, October 8, 2026. /PCSPresident William Ruto has proposed exploring buffalo milk production as part of efforts to diversify Kenya’s dairy sector and address milk shortages.
Speaking during the Agriculture and Food Transformation Summit at the ASK Showground, Ruto said Kenya should explore buffalo milk production, citing countries such as India where the animals are widely reared for milk.
The President said he had instructed the Principal Secretary for Livestock to explore the introduction of improved camel and buffalo breeds as part of efforts to expand milk production.
“I had told the Livestock PS to bring in good breeds of camels and buffaloes. I hear buffaloes also produce a lot of milk. Tulikua tumesema tuanze na kidogo tuone hii buffalo, kama tunaweza kukamua. If others are milking them, why can’t we do the same? What is wrong with that? We need to diversify our sources of milk,” he said.
Ruto’s proposal comes amid declining milk production attributed to prolonged drought, deteriorating pasture and rising animal feed costs.
He also pointed to the commercial potential of camel milk, saying its relatively high retail price could make it an attractive alternative source of income for livestock farmers.
“In town, a litre of camel milk goes for Sh180, almost Sh200. It’s triple the cow’s milk, so it’s good for us to start to think; we’re currently facing a milk shortage because of drought,” he said.
Buffalo milk is widely consumed in South Asia and is valued for its high fat and solids content.
It typically contains about 7–8 per cent butterfat, compared with approximately 3–4 per cent in cow’s milk, making it suitable for products such as cheese, butter, yoghurt and ghee.
It also contains higher concentrations of protein and calcium than cow’s milk.
Like other animal milk, however, it must be properly pasteurised to eliminate harmful bacteria before consumption.
Ruto's proposal comes at a time when Kenya’s dairy sector is facing mounting pressure from the effects of drought, which has reduced pasture and water availability while increasing the cost of feeding livestock.
The Kenya Dairy Board has warned that the shortage could persist for at least another month, prolonging supply constraints for consumers and processors.
Official data shows that formal milk deliveries to processors fell from 84.4 million litres in June to 81.3 million litres in July before declining further to 75 million litres in August.
The sustained drop in deliveries has left supermarket shelves with limited supplies of some milk brands, while prices of available products have risen by as much as 30 per cent.
Major urban markets, including Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru, have been affected by the supply constraints, with their substantial daily milk consumption placing additional pressure on available stocks.
Ruto’s proposal forms part of a broader push to improve livestock genetics and expand agricultural production.
Introducing buffaloes would, however, require consideration of suitable breeds, feed and water needs, animal health management, processing requirements and the commercial viability of establishing a new dairy production system in Kenya.
