This archive report was first published on 15 November 2019.
Published on November 15, 2019, a local radio station in Kenya highlighted the struggles of farmers in Nyandarua, who are facing a significant decline in the price of milk. The price has dropped from Sh35-38 per liter a year ago to Sh18 today, with companies like New KCC and Brookside being major buyers.
According to the farmers, the main reason for this decline is the importation of powdered milk from outside the country at a cheaper price, which is killing their businesses. Fresha, a dairy company owned by its members, is buying milk at Sh38 per liter, a price that the farmers believe is more sustainable.
As the farmers cry out for help, the question remains: what is the government doing to protect them? The biggest milk company in Kenya is owned by President Uhuru Kenyatta and his family, yet they seem to be doing little to address the issue.
Recently, President Kenyatta claimed that he did not know why Kenyans were broke. However, the answer lies in the government's policies, which are killing the very people who made him who he is today. The tea farmers, who were paid peanuts as bonuses just a month ago, have resorted to uprooting their tea bushes due to the government's inaction.
The government's failure to protect farmers is a man-made problem created by their own policies. The banks' control of interest rates, the forced use of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), and the importation of goods from China are all contributing factors to the suffering of Kenyan farmers.
It is time for the government to take action and allow businesses to thrive without intimidation. They should allow tea and coffee farmers to sell their produce where they want, stop fish importation from China, buy maize at a good price, revive Mumias sugar, and fight corruption without bias.
