NAIROBI — Kenya’s Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary, Mutahi Kagwe, has issued a stark warning to farmers and feed makers: clean up animal feeds or forget about breaking into global milk markets.
Speaking at the opening of the 17th African Dairy Conference and Exhibition in Nairobi, Mr Kagwe linked the country’s export struggles directly to aflatoxin contamination. The toxic mould, common in maize-based feeds, seeps into milk and has long dogged Kenyan producers.
“No export without quality,” he told delegates at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre. “Aflatoxin in maize feeds passes straight into milk and locks us out of lucrative markets. If we are serious about doubling production and exporting, we must fix feed quality first.”
To back up his words, Mr Kagwe announced plans for a new Good Quality Milk certification scheme. The programme, he said, would reward farmers who meet hygiene and safety standards with higher payments, while penalising those who supply poor-quality milk.
“It cannot be the same amount for bad and good,” he stressed. “Those who produce better will earn better.”
The government is also urging feed manufacturers to adopt Aflasafe, a biological product designed to suppress aflatoxin in maize. “Use aflatoxin-free maize. Adopt Aflasafe. This is the only way to guarantee the best milk for Kenyans and protect our place in global markets,” Mr Kagwe said.
Kenya produced 5.3 billion litres of milk in 2024. Under President William Ruto’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, the target is to double that to 10 billion litres within a few years. Officials say the plan hinges on lowering feed costs, improving cattle breeds, and rewarding quality.
Mr Kagwe also urged African nations to pool their knowledge and align standards under the African Continental Free Trade Area. “Africa cannot continue importing milk powders while sitting on vast potential,” he said.
Industry experts note that Kenya’s dairy sector remains one of the largest in Africa but is held back by quality concerns and inconsistent pricing. Farmers, meanwhile, have long complained that they shoulder high feed costs without receiving fair returns for better-quality produce.
Whether the promised reforms will stick, many say, depends on enforcement. For Mr Kagwe, however, the message was simple: only clean, safe milk can carry Kenya into global markets.
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