Ruto sets dairy farmers’ pay at Sh65 per litre

President William Ruto announced the new dairy payment during Mashujaa Day celebrations at Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Uasin Gishu County. The arrangement follows an increase in the price paid to farmers from Sh35 to Sh60 per litre. Ruto said the latest change would take the rate to Sh65 from this month, with an additional Sh2 bonus paid every quarter.

The president identified Eldoret as an important dairy centre and referred to the role of New Kenya Cooperative Creameries in milk processing and the broader dairy value chain. Dairy farming is a major source of household income in the North Rift, where the announcement drew particular attention from producers.

Ruto said Kenya’s national milk production had risen by one billion litres. He described the higher farm-gate price as part of government efforts to improve returns to farmers and expand livestock production.

The government is also increasing access to breeding services. Annual artificial insemination has grown from 900,000 services to 1.28m, according to Ruto, while the price of sexed semen has fallen from Sh8,000 to Sh1,400. The measures are intended to improve livestock breeds and productivity.

Ruto said more than 22m livestock had been vaccinated and that over 52m animals had been used to restock 10,000 households in 16 counties. Under the De-risking, Inclusion and Value Enhancement of Pastoral Economies in the Horn of Africa programme, drought insurance had been extended to 1.6m pastoralists across 21 counties.

The president also cited efforts to expand overseas markets for Kenyan agricultural products. He said the country’s economic partnership agreement with the European Union came into force in 2024. The government has presented the measures as part of a wider programme covering agricultural productivity, farmer incomes, drought resilience and livestock-based livelihoods.