Kenyan lawyer Donald B Kipkorir has raised concerns over what he sees as a contradiction between the country’s ambitions for major infrastructure development and its ability to consistently produce and supply basic food commodities such as milk and maize.
In a post shared on X, Kipkorir questions whether Kenya can realistically aspire to the level of development associated with countries such as Singapore while still struggling with the availability of staple foods in its own supermarkets.
His remarks come against the backdrop of persistent debate over Kenya’s food production, agricultural policy and dependence on imports. Kenya has in recent years relied on imported food commodities when local supply has fallen short, with maize imports from neighbouring countries becoming a recurring feature of the food market.
Kipkorir argues that the availability of staple foods should be treated as a measure of the country's economic progress rather than focusing primarily on large infrastructure projects.
The argument also puts pressure on the government over its agricultural priorities. While successive administrations have presented agriculture and food security as key national priorities, consumers continue to experience changes in the availability and prices of basic food products.
Kipkorir's criticism is therefore directed at what he sees as a gap between the country's development ambitions and the everyday reality faced by consumers looking for locally produced food.
His comments focus particularly on fresh milk, which he says he has struggled to find consistently in supermarkets, before questioning why Kenya should depend on neighbouring countries for commodities that he believes the country should be capable of producing in surplus.
He argues that genuine development must also be reflected in the ability to feed the population and generate enough surplus for export.
WITHOUT FRESH MILK IN OUR SUPERMARKETS, BIG INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS ARE SORCERER’S DANCE I grew up on KCC milk .. Later, I stuck with New KCC Crown Gold Fresh milk because it tasted like my Mama’s cow milk. . But every time I went to the supermarket, it was missing. Like that girl who stands you up many times, you give up. And then the few times I got it, its taste was different. Like a strange kiss! I left KCC Crown Gold forever.
Then I met, BIO Whole Fresh that tasted nearly the same like my Mama’s cow milk. And I stuck there. But like all other milks, you can’t find them in supermarkets.
After being away for over a week, I wanted home made Kenyan tea with BIO Whole Fresh milk. I didn’t find it nor the other big brands in the supermarket. Instead, there were two packets of a brand I had never heard of & had never seen it in any supermarket in Karen District: KINANGOP! I bought KINANGOP fresh milk today! !
A stranger was picking same packets; he looked at the hunger in my eyes & he handed them over to me. May God bless him. The taste in my tea is still new. Maybe, I may have to start not discriminating on milk brands. Kenya’s staple food is maize & milk. If we cannot be self-sufficient on both & with surplus to export, our dreams to be Singapore will be nightrunner’s dreams!
A SORCERER’S SEANCE! No country has developed, no single country has developed when it cannot produce surplus of its people staple food! How can we import maize from poor Zambia & milk from mmmmhhh Uganda (don’t want to speak loudly & annoy my General friend)!