“No More Milk Hawking!” – Gov’t Tells Kenyan Farmers
Mutahi Kagwe, the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, has promised a severe crackdown on milk hawking.
Mutahi declared that the unrestricted sale of raw milk posed a serious public health risk to millions of Kenyans.
The statement came on May 20 during the launch of a Ksh1.43 billion flagship project at Nairobi’s Uhuru Park to benefit dairy producers across the country.
CS Kagwe advised against brokers and hawkers selling raw milk straight to consumers, citing the practice’s substantial and growing harm to Kenyan families’ health.
“Milk hawking must stop. It is dangerous, it is a health issue, and it destroys the ability to create value-added dairy products,” said CS Kagwe.
He cautioned that millions of people are ingesting milk that cannot be traced, tested, or guaranteed safe, leaving them vulnerable to disease and pollution on a daily basis.
CS KAGWE ANNOUNCES CRACKDOWN ON MILK HAWKING AS GOVT UNVEILS SWEEPING DAIRY REFORMS
— Cabinet Secretary Agriculture & Livestock Dev't (@CS_MoALD) May 20, 2026
The government has intensified its crackdown on milk hawking across the country, with CS Sen. Mutahi Kagwe warning that the sale of unregulated raw milk poses a serious public health risk pic.twitter.com/gVllwCH7kP
CS Kagwe urged parents to take personal responsibility, saying that if they have young children, feeding them quality and traceable milk was the only sure way to avoid serious health problems such as diarrhoea.
He further accused milk hawking networks of undermining processors, weakening dairy cooperatives, and denying farmers better earnings from processed dairy products such as yoghurt, cheese, and milk powder that have costly market prices.
Under the new reforms, processors and cooperatives will be required to strengthen traceability systems, identifying farmers, tracking their production levels, and verifying the source of every litre reaching the market.
Of note is that the government is distributing 230 milk coolers countrywide under the Ksh1.43 billion programme.
95 units have already been deployed and the remaining coolers are set to reach dairy cooperatives across the country in phases, and is intended to counter the scourge of cartels in the industry.
“Many brokers are selling milk directly to consumers. Milk coolers will help organise farmers and reduce hawking,” stated Kagwe.
With the new directive, CS Kagwe said the reforms are designed to align Kenya with global milk production standards.
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- “No More Milk Hawking!” – Gov’t Tells Kenyan Farmers
It will also ensure the country grows beyond being the continent’s largest milk producer into a global dairy powerhouse capable of exporting milk powder while protecting farmers from seasonal price crashes.
To lower production costs, the Kagwe affirmed that the government is encouraging local cultivation of yellow maize and soya beans for animal feed.
This is supported through leasing programmes while also subsidising sexed semen to accelerate dairy cow genetics improvements at the farm level.
The CS also confirmed that the cost of sexed semen has been cut from Ksh9,000 to Ksh1,000 through the government subsidy.
The government hopes to create thousands of jobs, also expected across milk cooling, transport, veterinary services, and dairy processing sectors nationwide.
“No More Milk Hawking!” – Gov’t Tells Kenyan Farmers
