More than 18,000 farmers are set to benefit from 12 bulk milk coolers designed to reduce post-harvest losses, improve milk handling and strengthen dairy incomes.
More than 18,000 dairy farmers in Murang’a County are set to benefit from 12 bulk milk coolers valued at approximately US$679,600 (KES 87.94 million), as Kenya strengthens dairy infrastructure and seeks to reduce milk losses. The equipment has been delivered to dairy cooperative societies across the county and has a combined capacity to handle more than 37,000 litres of milk per day.
The Principal Secretary for the State Department for Livestock Development, Jonathan Mueke, said the new cooling facilities could help farmers save an estimated KES 661.75 million each year in post-harvest milk losses. The project is also expected to create around 296 direct employment opportunities while improving the handling and preservation of milk before it reaches processors.
The investment comes as Kenya faces tighter milk supplies. Formal milk deliveries to processors fell by 3.7%, from 84.4 million litres in June 2026 to 81.3 million litres in July, according to figures cited by the Kenya Dairy Board. Mueke linked the decline partly to inadequate rainfall and highlighted low returns to farmers as another factor limiting investment in quality animal feed, particularly during dry periods.
The government is also using improved breeding technology to raise dairy productivity. Sexed semen has been made available through the Kenya Animal Genetic Resource Centre at KES 1,000 per dose, compared with the previous price of KES 8,000. Farmers have additionally been encouraged to participate in mass vaccination programmes to reduce the risk of livestock disease outbreaks.
The Murang’a project forms part of a wider government programme to modernise Kenya’s dairy infrastructure. The government recently announced a US$11.02 million investment covering 230 bulk milk coolers, including 200 solar-powered units, across 41 counties. Those facilities are expected to support more than 115,000 farmers and enable the aggregation of an estimated 475,000 litres of milk each day.
Kenya launched a broader programme in 2025 to install 230 bulk milk coolers across 40 counties, with the aim of improving milk aggregation and reducing losses. The latest investments reflect continued efforts to strengthen the country’s dairy value chain by improving storage, lowering production-related losses and supporting farmer incomes.
Kenya’s dairy industry remains an important part of its agricultural economy, contributing about 4% of GDP and supporting more than two million people directly and indirectly. The country produced an estimated 5.3 billion litres of milk in 2024, with smallholder farmers accounting for around 80% of production.