Kenya undertakes milk safety assessment to strengthen dairy value chain

KENYA – The Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Irrigation & Fisheries of Kajiado County, through the Directorate of Veterinary Services, has undertaken a six-month assessment of milk and milk products.

The move aims to identify gaps in milk safety information to strengthen the Kajiado County dairy value chain, improve milk quality, and address food safety risks across the county.

The assessment examined challenges across Kajiado’s diverse dairy production systems, encompassing pastoral, agro-pastoral and peri-urban farming.

Key concerns included mastitis, microbial contamination, antimicrobial resistance, milk adulteration, and aflatoxin M1 in milk and milk products.

Other challenges identified included seasonal feed and water shortages, inadequate feed storage, limited access to veterinary services, inconsistent hygiene practices, non-food-grade containers, inadequate cooling infrastructure and gaps in milk traceability and quality compliance.

These challenges have implications for animal health, food safety, public health, producer incomes and institutional capacity.

Addressing them requires coordinated interventions that integrate veterinary services, public health, dairy production and environmental management through a One Health approach.

The assessment engaged stakeholders across the dairy value chain, with Oloolaiser Dairy in Kajiado North, Maasai Women Dairy in Kajiado Central, Namelok Dairy in Kajiado East, Namanga Dairy in Kajiado Central, and Oloitokitok Dairy in Kajiado South serving as anchor participants.

Other actors included milk traders, transporters, lead farmers, and other stakeholders involved in milk production, handling, and marketing.

Their participation provided insights into operational challenges, milk quality and safety concerns, infrastructure gaps, and information gaps affecting coordination across the value chain.

The proposed intervention areas include policy strengthening, technical improvements, stakeholder advocacy and sustainability measures.

Priorities include strengthening disease surveillance, improving milk hygiene and quality assurance, investing in cold-chain infrastructure, promoting climate-resilient feed systems and enhancing coordination among county and national institutions and other milk value chain actors.

The assessment findings will inform policy development, investment prioritisation, and targeted interventions to address identified gaps in animal health, milk hygiene, quality assurance, cold-chain infrastructure, and information sharing.

The County Government of Kajiado will pursue collaboration with National Government agencies to translate the recommendations into practical actions.

This will strengthen veterinary services, safeguard public health, reduce post-harvest losses and improve the productivity and competitiveness of the County’s dairy sector.

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