A milk vendor serves a customer at a Nyeri shop last June. The Kenya Dairy Board banned hawking of raw milk in January. File
Dairy farmers have threatened to seek court intervention to overturn a ban on hawking of raw milk.
The ban, which the Kenya Dairy Board (KDB) imposed in January, cited quality and safety concerns as well as the need to protect investors who had spent millions of shillings in setting up processing plants and distribution systems.
Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, Dairies Training Association chairperson Sammy Ciira said they would push for the government to recognise their business as legitimate.
“If it means going to court to have that done, then we are prepared to do so,” he said.
Mr Ciira challenged the government to initiate ways of improving milk production through the Ministry of Livestock and Kenya Dairies Board instead of blaming hawking of raw milk for the current crisis.
“The current shortage of milk and high consumer prices being experienced is due to reliance on rain-fed agriculture, where milk production is at the mercy of rain,” read the statement in part.
Mr Ciira cited poor planning by milk processors, the government and KDB as another cause of the shortage. He urged processors to plan adequately during peak seasons and have a reserve to cover dry seasons.
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