Kenya Dairy Board opts to train and issue licences to milk vendors

Kenya Dairy Board will train and issue milk hawkers with the practicing licences, possibly ending a long battle between the traders and the regulator over sale of adulterated milk.

Acting KDB managing director Humphrey Maina says the move is meant to protect consumers who have been buying uncertified milk.
The training will be conducted countrywide at various centres.

“We have started the training of hawkers and we will issue them with licences allowing them to trade in milk legally. The purpose of this is to ensure that we eliminate cases of adulterated milk in the market,” said Mr Maina.

The move is likely to trigger conflict with the established processors who have been complaining that the informal milk traders is eating into their market share.

However, Mr Maina says the licensing is aimed at promoting good handling of milk to curb diseases that arise from consumption of bad milk.
“We are aiming at safeguarding the interest of the consumers as well as promoting trade in the milk sector,” he said.

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The managing director said plans are underway to establish an initiative that would see hawkers collect their raw milk and take it to the processor in exchange of the pasturised product on mutual agreement.

In the last three years, the regulator has been carrying out media campaigns to urge Kenyans to stop taking unprocessed milk.
On average, the price of a 500ml processed milk goes for Sh50 while the same quantity of the raw stuff sells at a relatively affordable Sh35.