Kenya's chai tea lovers are not happy as the nation's cows run dry

ByBasillioh Rukanga Reporting fromNairobi.

Key points

• The Consumer Federation of Kenya (Cofek) notes there has been a downward trend of supply since the beginning of the year.
• 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.
• Some of the milk processors in Kenya often reconvert the powder into the more-preferred liquid milk during dry seasons when the supply of fresh milk goes down.
• "Had these buffers been in place, today's supply shock would have been substantially cushioned, " Cofek notes.
• In response to media enquiries, the dairy board's managing director William Maritim assured that despite the "temporary supply constraint", milk continued to be available.

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.

Meanwhile, a breakfast here is often incomplete without a cup of chai, created 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 plenty of residents taking the hot brew a number of times a day.

But now some may have to do without as supermarket chilled sections are almost empty. Retailers have upped the cost and are limiting how much shoppers can take home.

In practice, the administration has put the dearth of milk in recent months down to drought. It has significantly reduced pasture and hampered production.

But the recent shortages are unusual, with the country's industry regulator itself admitting to "supply constraints" and "low stock levels" nationwide.

"Where has the milk gone?" she asked when the BBC spoke to her as she was out searching for at least a few packets to quench her customers thirst for chai.

Macharia notes there have been shortages for concerning a week – and it was especially affecting her morning rush hour. Her regulars are not happy: some opting to take their tea black – but plenty of will not.

"If they come in groups, and there's no milk tea, you see that's a loss for me, " she remarked. Kenya is one of the leading milk producers on the continent.

Meanwhile, a long-established commercial dairy industry has led to pasteurised milk being particularly popular, particularly in urban areas, with Kenyans ranked among Africa's highest consumers, according to industry data. Raw and fermented milk is more widely drunk in rural areas.

Notably, the milk shortage has sparked widespread public concern with some individuals promoting unfounded conspiracy theories concerning supermarkets deliberately trying to profit.

While preliminary investigations suggest deliveries declined further in August, according to the Kenya Dairy Board (KDB), the administration body that oversees the dairy sector, formal milk deliveries to processors fell by 3.7% from 84.4 million litres in June to 81.3 million litres in July.

In practice, the Consumer Federation of Kenya (Cofek) notes there has been a downward trend of supply since the beginning of the year.

It attributes this to a delay in the seasonal rains. It has reduced the grazing ground available, coupled with a 45% rise in the cost of animal feed.

Cofek has expressed concern over the rationing as well as the increasing cost, saying fresh milk rates have risen from 70 to 80 Kenyan shillings ($0.54 to $0.62; £0.40 to £0.46) a litre. "This shortage was foreseeable, and in material part, avoidable, " it notes.

In practice, the consumer body notes dairy processor New KCC, a state-owned business, and the KDB did not adequately absorb the milk surplus last year, adding that powder processed from the excess milk would have supported resolve the current crisis.

It has demanded a recovery plan to include fodder and subsidy backing for farmers.

As well as "active retail price monitoring to deter opportunity price gouging and rationing", this would include waiving of taxes on animal feed inputs.

Fresh pasteurised milk, which has a shorter shelf life, had been more affected than the more long-life UHT milk, he remarked.

Customers at Nairobi supermarkets on the hunt for milk informed the BBC they were worried concerning rising costs.

"Sometimes when I go to the supermarket I find there is none. When I do find some, the cost has gone up. Today it is this cost, tomorrow it has gone up again, " stated Bernard Abok. This person does his shopping after finishing work.

Patricia Gathoni remarked if the costs kept going up she would have to rethink what she offered her children, saying she had resorted to adding water to the milk that she managed to purchase.

On Thursday, agriculture ministry authorities held a gathering with the association of dairy processors regarding the challenge, with the ministry committing to backing farmers, stabilise milk supply and protect consumers.

For context, the ministry's top official in charge of livestock development, Jonathan Mueke, remarked the immediate focus was to secure more feed for farmers, including through duty-free importation of yellow maize.

He remarked they were additionally looking at longer-term solutions that would manage stability throughout periods when there was surplus milk and when there were shortages.

Reports of milk going to waste are not uncommon during periods of a dairy glut. Farmers have often complained regarding how little they are paid for their perishable produce at such times – but they have few options as of limited processing or storage capacity.

According to Mueke, the administration is considering setting up a fund to assist backing the preservation of milk during such periods.

In the meantime, the administration is additionally considering temporarily importing milk from the neighbouring countries to ease the shortage. For the devoted Kenyan chai lover, that may offer some respite. Extra reporting by Ahmed Bahajj. You may additionally be interested in. Forgotten 'weeds' prove a culinary hit in Kenya. Desperate for food, drought-stricken Kenyans turn to the gingerbread tree. Why Africa should 'stop eating one of its favourite foods'.

Go to BBCAfrica.com, external for more news from the African continent.

For now, kenya' s chai tea lovers are not happy as the nation' s cows run remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.