Ruto Links Supermarket Milk Shortages to Rising Employment in Kenya

Speaking on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, Ruto said Kenya’s annual milk production had risen from about 4.6 billion litres to approximately 5.5 billion litres in the previous year. He also cited Kenya National Bureau of Statistics figures showing that milk processing capacity had grown by 36 per cent.

Ruto said the increase in production had not kept pace with the rising number of people who could afford to buy milk. He pointed to his economic adviser’s explanation from the previous day:

“There are too many people now who can afford some tea and some milk because we have close to another two million people who are not working. Now they are working. 1.1 million of them are in the affordable housing space,” Ruto said.

The president added that rising employment was changing consumption patterns in other sectors, including coffee and tea. He said workers entering the job market, particularly through affordable housing construction, had gained more purchasing power and were buying more everyday goods.

Ruto’s remarks came as Kenyans continue to question why supermarkets were running out of milk despite the country’s higher production. The president said the same shift in demand could affect other sectors as more Kenyans gained an income.

Ndii spoke about the issue on Tuesday at the 2026 NCBA Economic Forum in Nairobi, challenging claims that falling production had caused the milk shortages.

Citing Kenya National Bureau of Statistics data, he said milk production had climbed to about 5.6 billion litres, while processors’ milk intake had risen by 34 percent.

“If there is no reduction in supply, and there is actually a very sharp increase in both production and the intake by processors, what can explain the stock-outs on the shelves?” Ndii asked.

He attributed the stronger demand to affordable housing construction sites, where contractors provide workers with milk as part of their daily provisions.

Then on Wednesday, Ndii shared a social media post quoting a statement about how people eventually accept new ideas, even after initially opposing them.

“All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident,” he wrote.