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Thousands of dairy farmers in Kenya’s Rift Valley are set to benefit from the installation of new milk cooling equipment aimed at strengthening the dairy value chain and reducing post-harvest losses.
A total of 21 bulk milk coolers have been allocated to dairy cooperatives in Bomet and Kericho counties, a move expected to improve milk preservation, enhance quality standards, and increase farmer earnings.
The initiative is part of the national government’s broader dairy sector support programme under the Livestock Value Chain Support Project (LVCSP), which is investing in milk aggregation and storage infrastructure to support smallholder farmers.
In Kericho County, the government has rolled out 12 milk coolers, with nine units already distributed to dairy cooperatives and three more scheduled for delivery. The project is valued at about Sh70 million and is expected to significantly improve milk handling across the county.
According to officials from the State Department for Livestock Development, the cooling equipment will allow cooperatives to collectively preserve about 855,000 litres of milk every month, equivalent to nearly 47 million litres annually.
The coolers can store approximately 19,000 litres of milk daily, ensuring that milk collected from farmers remains fresh before it is transported to processors.
Principal Secretary for Livestock Development Jonathan Mueke, who flagged off the project, said improved milk cooling infrastructure is critical for strengthening dairy supply chains and protecting farmer incomes.
Milk is highly perishable, and delays in cooling often lead to spoilage and rejection by processors. By installing bulk milk coolers at cooperative collection centres, farmers can now store their milk safely while waiting for transportation or processing.
County leaders say the investment will particularly benefit smallholder dairy farmers who produce most of Kenya’s milk but often lack access to proper storage facilities.
The coolers will enable cooperatives to aggregate milk from multiple farmers, allowing them to negotiate better prices with processors and reduce reliance on informal milk markets.
In Kericho, the county government has identified selected cooperatives among the region’s 46 dairy societies to receive the new cooling equipment. Officials say the intervention is designed to close the existing infrastructure gap, as only 25 cooperatives previously had milk cooling facilities.
Local leaders also revealed plans to strengthen the dairy value chain through additional investments, including the establishment of a milk processing factory to promote value addition and create more stable markets for farmers.
The coolers installed in the programme are solar-powered, helping reduce electricity costs for farmer cooperatives while ensuring continuous cooling even in rural areas with unreliable power supply.
Bomet County is also expected to benefit from several cooling units that will be distributed to dairy cooperatives to improve milk collection and quality management.
Kenya’s dairy sector is one of the country’s most important agricultural industries, supporting millions of farmers and contributing significantly to rural incomes. However, inadequate storage infrastructure remains a major challenge, with significant quantities of milk lost each year due to spoilage.
Nationally, the government is implementing a Sh1.45 billion programme to distribute about 230 bulk milk coolers across 40 counties as part of efforts to modernise the dairy sector and reduce losses.
The initiative is expected to increase milk aggregation capacity, strengthen cooperative marketing systems, and improve market access for farmers.
For dairy producers in Bomet and Kericho, the new cooling facilities are expected to enhance milk quality, reduce wastage, and ultimately improve farm-gate prices as the region moves toward a more organised and commercially viable dairy value chain.
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