Dairy farmers are set to earn more following quick interventions by the government to deal with a milk glut that threatened to wipe out higher prices, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has said.

Mr Gachagua said the government had intervened by allocating Ksh.900 million to the Kenya Cooperative Creameries to buy the milk to stop the prices from dropping owing to the extra production.

Because of the intervention, milk prices will rise to Ksh.50 per litre up from Ksh.45 beginning March 1, 2024. The Deputy President said they seek to increase the prices to over Ksh.60 per litre in the coming months.

“As a government, we released Ksh.900 million to stabilise the prices in the milk sector after a glut following the heavy rains. The prices at Kenya Cooperatives Creameries will be raised from Ksh.45 per litre to Ksh.50 from March 1 and up to Ksh.60 in the coming months,” Mr Gachagua said.

The DP asked dairy farmers to supply milk to the New KCC to earn more.

Mr Gachagua spoke on Sunday when he attended a Holy Mass at St Andrew Kaggwa Catholic Church in Kwanza Constituency, Trans Nzoia County. He also presided over a fundraiser for building the new premises for the church.

The Deputy President also asked farmers in Trans Nzoia to increase acreage under maize saying the government had released adequate subsidized fertilizer which is being sold at Ksh.2,500 per 50kg bag.

“Trans Nzoia County is important in our country’s food security. The subsidized fertilizer is readily available here. We thank Governor George Natembeya for ensuring the last-mile distribution of the fertilizer,” said the Deputy President who discouraged the farmers against selling all their harvests asking them to keep some for domestic consumption.

At the same time, the DP warned teachers against sending home Junior Secondary School learners for lack of school uniform or desks saying stern action will be taken against them. He urged the teachers to allow parents enough time to buy the uniform for their children.

“Let them not send our children home over levies and unnecessary fees introduced at the school. Any teacher defying the government’s orders will face stern action,” he warned. 

Mr Gachagua also called on leaders in Trans Nzoia to keep the existing unity in the cosmopolitan county for enhanced development.

“This is a cosmopolitan county with members of different communities living here. We thank the leaders led by the governor for maintaining peace. As people of Trans Nzoia, continue to love one another and peacefully coexist,” said the Deputy President.