Kenya's milk shortage: Chai lovers unhappy as cows run dry

Chai, made by boiling tea in generous amounts of milk, is sometimes flavoured with ginger and spices. Kenyans love their milky tea, or chai, but some are facing the worrying possibility of doing without as the country has been hit by a milk shortage.

A breakfast here is often incomplete without a cup of chai, made by boiling tea in generous amounts of milk, sometimes flavoured with ginger and spices. It is often served at meetings and during social visits, with many people taking the hot brew several times a day. But now some may have to do without as supermarket chilled sections are nearly empty. Retailers have upped the price and are limiting how much shoppers can take home.

The government has attributed the dearth of milk in recent months to drought, which has significantly reduced pasture and hampered production. However, the recent shortages are unusual, with the country's industry regulator admitting to "supply constraints" and "low stock levels" across the country.

Muthoni Macharia, who runs a restaurant in the capital, Nairobi, usually buys more than 70 packets of fresh milk and is desperate and puzzled by the scarcity. She expressed her frustration, stating,

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"Where has the milk gone?"

Macharia noted that there have been shortages for about a week, particularly affecting her morning rush hour. Her regulars are not happy; some are opting to take their tea black, but many will not. She added,

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"If they come in groups, and there's no milk tea, you see that's a loss for me."

Kenya is one of the leading milk producers on the continent. A long-established commercial dairy industry has led to pasteurised milk being very popular, particularly in urban areas, with Kenyans ranked among Africa's highest consumers. Raw and fermented milk is more widely consumed in rural areas.