President William Ruto has echoed remarks by his economic adviser Dr David Ndii, who argued that construction workers on the Affordable Housing Programme are driving the milk shortage being felt across the country.
For the past two months, shoppers in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and other urban centres have struggled to find milk on supermarket shelves. Economic analysts have pointed to a different cause, saying cartels have taken control of Kenya Cooperative Creameries, the body responsible for milk buying and distribution.
Speaking on Tuesday, Ndii, an Oxford trained economist, left many Kenyans stunned with his explanation. “Who is consuming this milk if people have not increased their consumption?” he asked. “If you go to any of our affordable housing construction sites, you will find crates of milk,” he said.
Ruto took the same line on Wednesday while addressing the Industrialisation Summit at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi. He said the shortage in supermarkets was being fuelled by higher demand from workers employed under the housing programme, arguing that rising employment and purchasing power had changed how Kenyans consume milk.
“People are asking, so why do we have a milk shortage? And I think a friend of mine answered very early yesterday,” Ruto said, pointing to Ndii’s remarks.
The President defended his case with figures. He said annual milk production had grown from about 4.6 billion litres to 5.5 billion litres last year, and cited Kenya National Bureau of Statistics data showing a 36 percent increase in milk processing capacity. According to Ruto, that growth has coincided with more Kenyans being able to afford milk, including those working on construction sites.
The explanation has not gone down well with many Kenyans, who find it hard to believe that construction workers alone could empty supermarket shelves across the country. With production and processing both reportedly up, critics are asking why the milk is not reaching consumers, and whether the cartel’s claims deserve a proper investigation.
