This archive report was first published on 14 December 2019.
Kenyan officials are investigating a surge in milk imports from Uganda, which has left local dairy farmers struggling to compete.
The move follows a sharp rise in volumes of imported milk purportedly from Uganda, with data showing that Ksh10.5 billion ($105 million) worth of milk imports from Uganda has found its way into the Kenyan market compared with a low of Ksh2.5 billion ($25 million) and Ksh8.1 billion ($81 million) in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
According to Kenya's Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Trade Chris Kiptoo, the delegation will be visiting Uganda to investigate the cause of the milk glut and to ascertain the origin of the commodity.
“We don’t discriminate products on the basis of originality as long as they are safe and meet the quality standards,” Kiptoo said.
Trade Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya added that the team will comprise officers from the ministry and that of Agriculture, and will engage with their Ugandan counterparts in a friendly manner.
“Uganda is our biggest trading partner in the region and we want to engage with them in a friendly manner,” Munya said.
Kenya's Livestock Principal Secretary Harry Kimutai said the country had written to the Trade Ministry seeking intervention over the high volumes of milk coming from Uganda.
After the investigations, the ministry is expected to come up with remedial measures as prescribed under the EAC protocol.
