NAIROBI, Kenya — President William Ruto has proposed expanding Kenya’s milk production beyond conventional dairy cattle, directing the government to explore importing improved camel breeds and introducing buffaloes for commercial milk production.
Speaking during the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Summit at Jamhuri Park in Nairobi on Friday, October 9, 2026, Ruto said the country needed to diversify its sources of milk as drought continued to affect livestock feed and reduce supplies reaching processors.
He said he had instructed Principal Secretary for Livestock Development Jonathan Mueke to help identify suitable camel breeds and explore the introduction of dairy buffaloes.
“I had directed the Agriculture PS to help us bring in a better breed of camel and bring another buffalo breed. Buffaloes also produce a lot of milk. In India there are buffaloes,” Ruto said.
He added that the government should consider introducing buffaloes on a small scale before determining how the animals could be incorporated into Kenya’s dairy industry. The President also backed proposals to develop camel farming as a broader commercial enterprise.
The announcement comes as households in several urban centres face higher milk prices and intermittent shortages, raising questions about the resilience of Kenya’s dairy supply chain.
Ruto points to camel milk’s higher price
Ruto cited the price of camel milk in Nairobi as an indication of the commercial opportunity available to producers.
“Here in Nairobi, the camel’s milk is about KSh190 and is selling at almost KSh200, beating cow’s milk three times. We need to start thinking,” he said.
The President argued that Kenya could increase milk availability by improving camel breeds and expanding production, particularly in areas where conventional cattle farming is vulnerable to prolonged dry conditions.
However, camel milk already forms part of Kenya’s livestock economy, especially in arid and semi-arid areas. The proposed initiative would therefore build on an existing industry rather than introduce camel dairying for the first time.
Research published in the International Journal of Food Science identifies Kenya as a leading global producer of camel milk, with production concentrated largely in northern and northeastern counties. The study also highlights persistent challenges involving milk handling, cooling, transportation and access to commercial markets.
The government’s challenge will be to determine which breeds can deliver higher yields while remaining suited to local climates, feed availability and water conditions.
Drought drives milk supply constraints
Kenya’s current milk shortage has been linked to prolonged dry conditions that have reduced pasture and increased the cost of animal feed.
According to the Kenya News Agency, formal milk deliveries to processors fell from 84.4 million litres in June to 81.3 million litres in July 2026, a decline of approximately 3.7 per cent. Preliminary indications at the time pointed to a further reduction in August.
The decline has affected processors and retailers, with reports of reduced stocks, missing brands and restrictions on the number of packets customers can purchase at some outlets.
In September, The Standard reported that the supply disruption had exposed the dairy sector’s vulnerability to rainfall variability, noting that many farmers depend directly or indirectly on rain-fed pasture and fodder.
Retail prices have also risen. Reports from Nairobi and other urban centres have placed some 500ml packets of fresh milk at between KSh75 and KSh80, compared with earlier prices of around KSh60 to KSh70, although prices vary by brand and outlet.
The government has attributed the supply pressure largely to drought and feed shortages, rather than a nationwide absence of milk production.
Why improved camel breeds are being considered
Camels are adapted to dry environments and can continue producing milk under conditions in which cattle productivity may fall sharply, although yields depend on breed, nutrition, water availability, animal health and management.
A Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization programme has previously studied Somali, Rendille and Turkana camels for milk production. Research reported by the Kenya News Agency found differences in yields between breeds, with Somali camels generally producing more milk than Rendille camels under the conditions described.
This existing research could provide a starting point for assessing whether improved breeds would offer a meaningful increase in production.
But importing animals alone would not guarantee a rapid increase in milk supply. The government would need to establish breeding and veterinary arrangements, identify suitable production areas, support farmers with training and feed, and ensure that milk can be collected, cooled, processed and transported safely.
These requirements are particularly important if the objective is to move more camel milk from pastoral production areas into large urban markets.
Buffalo milk: opportunity and unanswered questions
Ruto also pointed to India, where water buffaloes are widely used for commercial dairy production, as an example Kenya could examine.
Buffalo milk can have a higher fat content than cow’s milk, making it suitable for products such as yoghurt, cheese and other dairy products. However, the productivity of imported animals depends on the breed, feeding system, climate, veterinary care and the infrastructure available to farmers.
The proposal also raises regulatory questions that must be addressed before any importation takes place.
Kenya would need to establish the applicable animal-health and import requirements, including disease screening, quarantine, biosecurity and the suitability of the proposed breeds for local conditions. The government would also need to clarify how buffalo farming would be regulated and how the resulting milk would be handled within existing dairy standards.
The idea of introducing buffaloes for food production has previously attracted public scrutiny, making transparent consultation and clear regulatory guidance important as the proposal is developed.
Ruto’s remarks indicate that the government is exploring the option; they do not establish that imports have already been approved or that buffaloes will enter commercial production immediately.
Milk shortage exposes a wider production challenge
The proposed diversification comes as Kenya seeks to increase overall agricultural output while improving farmers’ incomes.
Ruto has said annual national milk production rose from approximately 4.5 billion litres to 5.6 billion litres in the previous year. The figures cited by the President refer to annual production, while the monthly figures on processor deliveries measure the volume entering the formal processing sector.
The distinction matters: annual production can rise even as formal deliveries decline temporarily because of seasonal conditions, changes in market channels or difficulties moving milk from farms to processors.
The current shortage therefore highlights more than the number of animals in the country. It also points to the importance of affordable feed, water availability, reliable collection networks, processing capacity and market access.
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For farmers, higher retail prices do not automatically translate into higher profits if the cost of feed and other inputs is also rising.
For consumers, additional milk sources could help improve availability over time, but the effect on prices would depend on the scale of production and how efficiently the milk reaches the market.
What happens next?
The immediate next step is for the livestock department to assess suitable camel breeds and the feasibility of introducing dairy buffaloes, as directed by the President.
Key questions include the expected cost of importing and maintaining the animals, the number of farmers who could participate, the production targets, and the timeline for any pilot programme.
The government will also need to determine whether improving existing camel herds and investing in fodder, water and milk-handling infrastructure could deliver faster results than relying primarily on imported stock.
For now, Ruto’s proposal signals a push to diversify Kenya’s dairy sector as drought places pressure on conventional milk production.
Whether it eases the current shortage will depend on how quickly the government moves from exploring new breeds to implementing a properly funded and technically supported production programme.
