Data3 min read
Milk is up 6% on the same packs in five weeks
Kenya is short of milk. We priced the same 51 milk products at four supermarkets six times since mid-September. Here is what moved, and what you can do.
The short answer
The same fresh milk products cost 6.4% more on 20 October than on 16 September, across four supermarkets. A litre of Brookside went from about KES 135 to 150. The size you buy matters little. The brand you buy matters a lot.
Same milk, 5 weeks
+6.4%
Brookside 1 L, one shop
135 → 150
Listings at one shop
23 → 9
Five weeks ago, a litre of Brookside cost KES 135 at one big supermarket. On 20 October, the same litre on the same website cost 150.
That is one pack. For the wider picture, take the same 51 fresh milk products at four Kenyan supermarkets, priced every few days since mid-September. On 20 October, the lot cost 6.4% more than on 16 September.1
It came in two steps. Prices rose 3.6% by the end of September, then another 2.7% by 20 October. Between 30 September and 20 October, 20 products went up, 31 stayed where they were, and only one came down.
Of 52 milk products, 20 went up and 1 came down
The same products at four supermarkets, 30 September to 20 October
The national picture
The national figures point the same way. Nairametrics, reporting the national statistics bureau's September figures, says packaged fresh milk rose 6% in that month alone.2
Why? Farmers and forecasters quoted by the Daily Nation point to dry weather, the high cost of animal feed, and too little fodder. Less milk is reaching the dairies, and some brands have been missing from shelves.3
Most rises on our list were KES 5 to KES 11 a pack. A 500 ml pouch at one shop went from 58 to 68.
Brookside 1 L, the same listings at two shops
Shillings
| Brookside 1 L | 16 Sep | 30 Sep | 5 Oct | 20 Oct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shop A first listing | 135 | 135 | 138 | 150 |
| Shop A second listing | 134 | 134 | 138 | 148 |
| Shop B first listing | 138 | 138 | 143 | 154 |
| Shop B second listing | 132 | 132 | 137 | 148 |
What happened on one shelf
Shelves tell a second story. At one of the four shops, the number of fresh milk products listed online fell from 23 to 9 in two weeks. Brookside, Elgon Valley, Ilara, Leche, Tuzo and Too Good all went from that shop's list.
Fresh milk products listed online
Count of products
| Fresh milk listed online | 16 Sep | 5 Oct | 20 Oct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shop A | 29 | 30 | 28 |
| Shop B | 18 | 18 | 16 |
| Shop C | 23 | 23 | 9 |
| Shop D | 3 | 3 | 3 |
The other three shops barely changed. Two lost two products each. One lost none.
Before you read too much into that, one warning. In the same two weeks, that shop cut about a third of everything it sells online, not only milk. So we can't tell how much of its milk drop is the shortage and how much is something else. A website also shows what it can sell online, and your branch may differ.
What you can do this week
Don't expect the size to save you. For the same brand at the same shop, two 500 ml packets and one litre cost almost the same, within a few shillings.
The brand is where the money is. On 20 October, a packed litre of branded fresh milk on these websites cost from KES 135 for Ilara to KES 175 for Bio. That is KES 40 a litre, every litre, for milk you pour into the same cup of tea.
If your usual brand is missing, or has jumped, look along the shelf. Ilara's litre was the cheapest packed litre we found, at two shops. Bio was the easiest to find, listed at all four, but it was also the dearest.
What you can do this week
- Compare brands per litre. On 20 October a packed litre of fresh milk ranged from KES 135 to 175 across brands.
- If your usual brand is missing or dear, look along the shelf. Ilara's litre was the cheapest packed litre we found.
What to remember
- Milk is up about 6% on the same packs in five weeks.
- Same milk, different brand: up to KES 40 a litre apart.
- One shop lost most of its milk brands online. The others did not.
Will you use this?
Know someone who should read this?
- Jijenga Basket, Fresh whole milk at four Kenyan supermarkets' websites, captured six times between 16 September and 20 October 2026. The 51 products listed in all six captures, priced on each date. Online prices; branches can differ.
- Nairametrics, 30 September 2026, Reporting the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics September figures: packeted fresh milk +6.0% in the month.
- Daily Nation, 1 September 2026, Milk intake, missing brands, and the causes named by farmers and FEWS NET.
Jijenga does this with your own statement. Months come in at once.
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