Milk Prices Plummet in Uganda After Brookside Exports Allegedly Blocked by Kenya

A dairy processing company owned by the Kenyatta family, reportedly faced challenges in exporting its products from Uganda to Kenya.

As a consequence of the alleged blockage of its exports, milk prices in Uganda sharply dropped.Brookside Limited Uganda had to reduce its operations significantly after failing to obtain an export permit from the Kenyan government.

The price of milk in Uganda decreased from $0.41 (equivalent to KSh 58.22) per liter in February to $0.11 (equivalent to KSh 15.62) in July.

With the export route to Kenya blocked, Uganda is now exploring alternative markets for its milk products. A glimmer of hope emerged when Senegal expressed interest in purchasing milk powder from Kampala, potentially benefiting local farmers.

The situation also affected Brookside’s workforce, as the company had to retrench half of its employees in Uganda due to the decline in exports. The processor stated that it was unable to export cream, butter, yogurt, ghee, and milk powder to Nairobi after being denied the necessary permit since March 2023. This denial reportedly limited their access to 75% of their market in Kenya.

In another development, businessman Bundotich Zedekiah Kiprotich, popularly known as Buzeki, announced the immediate layoff of some of his employees.

Buzeki, who owns multiple companies, criticized the Kenyan government’s heavy taxation policies.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *