Gachagua Mocks Ruto’s Plan to Import Buffaloes as Kenyans Struggle to Find Milk
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua had a go at President William Ruto on his proposal to introduce buffalo milk production in Kenya, pointing out some pretty obvious questions as to why the government would even think about importing buffaloes from India when folk are already struggling to get their hands on milk.
Gachagua let rip with a tongue-in-cheek critique of the plan on October 10th 2026 in Northern Kakamega – when Cleophas Malala put him on loudspeaker to address the public gathering by phone.
The former Deputy President basically questioned whether the government was getting their priorities straight : introducing buffaloes just wasn’t going to sort out the day-to-day problems that Kenyans were having trying to find milk in the supermarkets.
Gachagua Mocks Ruto Over Buffalo Milk Plan
Gachagua was having a laugh at Ruto’s expense when he mentioned his idea to go down the buffalo milk production route, basically saying the government was so desperate they were turning to anything rather than dealing with the problems in Kenya’s dairy industry.
“i heard Ruto the other day saying there’s no milk and he’s off to consult with his government about importing some buffaloes from India to milk instead. Is the president actually serious, or just looking to take us all for a ride?” Gachagua asked.
The former Deputy President used a bit of humour to make his point, and pointed out that Kenya was basically saying it cant even get milk to the shops, so importing buffaloes from India wasnt going to do much to help the situation.
“Apparently, theres no milk” Gachagua said. “So the solution is to send to India to pick up some buffaloes ?” (ie anasema ati hakuna maziwa, anatafuta nyati kutoka India)
Gachagua also threw in a bit of a random comment about India that had zero backing in the evidence – but hey, that wasnt the main point anyway.
It was exactly two days after Ruto had floated the idea of introducing buffalo and camel milk production as a way of shaking up the market and getting some new milk on the shelves.
Gachagua Questions Ruto’s Milk Production Claims
The row has also brought to the fore the difference between the government’s claim of a rise in national milk production and people worrying that there just isn’t enough in the shops.
At a Agriculture and Food Security Transformation Summit at Jamhuri Park on Thursday, 8th October 2026, Ruto said Kenya’s milk output has gone from around 4.5 billion litres a year to 5.6 billion litres. “We want to push this even higher”, he said and that he reckons Kenya should look at getting milk from somewhere else too.
Ruto was speaking at a time when people were getting worried about milk not getting delivered to the factories that turn it into all the other products that people buy – and that’s raised questions about whether all that extra milk that’s supposed to be being produced is actually making its way to the shops.
Kenya Milk Shortage: What the Latest Data Shows
New figures from the Kenya Dairy Board show deliveries to the factories that turn milk into all the other dairy products actually fell from 84.4 million litres in June to 81.3 million litres in July. While that’s not great, these figures only cover some of the milk that gets produced and sold in the country, not all of it.
Ruto’s Agriculture people reckon the reason there’s a shortage is down to drought, animal feed being short and farmers changing the way they sell their milk.
At the senate on September 16, Agriculture Minister Mutahi Kagwe said milk processing has actually gone down by around 5%. “The truth is, there is a bit of a milk shortage at the moment but it’s not a disaster, just about 5% less than usual” he said.
The numbers really do show how tough it is for Kenya’s dairy industry – how the amount of milk being made, how much the factories can process and how it gets to the shops all play their part in what’s available for the people that want to buy it.
Ruto Defends Buffalo and Camel Milk Production
Ruto has come out in support of trying to shake things up in the dairy industry by looking at alternative breeds and sources to increase milk production in Kenya.
“Look, I told the Livestock PS to go out and find us some decent camel and buffalo breeds. I’ve heard from people that buffaloes actually produce heaps of milk” the President said ,.
Its a bit puzzling to me then , if other people are milking them , why cant we do it too ? There is no reason why we cant diversify our milk sources and make more milk available.
The plan basically suggests that the government is looking to see if they can widen the pool of milk that comes from Kenya , and not just the usual dairy cattle.
But getting buffalo going here would need a lot of careful thought – you’d have to figure out if these animals can actually handle the local conditions, get veterinary care sorted and make sure youve got enough food and water for them.
You also have to consider how much time and money it would take to set up a whole new way of farming livestock while consumers are worried about getting the milk they need at a price they can afford.
Challenges Facing Buffalo Farming in Kenya
The idea of using buffalo to make more dairy products could be a good thing but its all dependent on a few things.
For a start, you need to figure out how much it would cost to import decent buffalo, get veterinary services lined up and make sure youve got a steady supply of food for them and enough water.
Farmers would also need to have the right equipment and know-how to look after the buffalo properly , and anyone bringing in new animals would have to get them checked over to make sure theyre healthy.
The government would have to give this a pretty hard look and work out if it would actually be worth bringing buffalo farming into the country.
In the end though it all comes down to how can we make more milk available, support the farmers and make sure consumers can get milk at a price they can afford.
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Gachagua Mocks Ruto’s Plan to Import Buffaloes as Kenyans Struggle to Find Milk
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