‘You punishing small farmers in Mt Kenya, not Uhuru’ – Olekina cautions Ruto, Gachagua
Narok senator Ledama Olekina claims president William Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua are playing politics with milk import to punish retired president Uhuru Kenyatta.
In a tweet on Saturday, January 28, 2023, Olekina lamented that Ruto had destroyed the milk market for local farmers by allowing milk imports into the country.
The Narok senator further hailed retired president Kenyatta for limiting the importation of milk into the country.
"I love East Africa but we must take care of our local market first @UhuruKE was wise to limit the amount of Milk that floods our market. @WilliamsRuto has destroyed the milk market for local farmers -soon big milk processing companies will buy milk at 20 bob a liter from Farmers," Olekina tweeted.
I love East Africa but we must take care of our local market first @UhuruKE was wise to limit the amount of Milk that floods our market. @WilliamsRuto has destroyed the milk market for local farmers -soon big milk processing companies will buy milk at 20 bob a liter from Farmers
— Sen. Ledama Olekina (@ledamalekina) January 28, 2023
The Narok senator further claimed that Ruto and Gachagua were allowing cheap milk from Uganda to punish the retired president, cautioning that the move was only punishing small-scale farmers in Mt Kenya.
"By flooding the market with cheap milk from Uganda @WilliamsRuto & @rigathi think the action punishes the Uhuru Family! Little do they know Brookside is owned by an a French company called Denone! You are punishing small farmers from Mt Kenya who will soon sell milk at 20bob," Olekina tweeted.
By flooding the market with cheap milk from Uganda @WilliamsRuto & @rigathi think the action punishes the Uhuru Family! Little do they know Brookside is owned by an a French company called Denone! You are punishing small farmers from Mt Kenya who will soon sell milk at 20bob— Sen. Ledama Olekina (@ledamalekina) January 28, 2023
Protectionism
On October 19, 2022, while at a function at the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) at Serena hotel, Ruto said he would open up the Kenyan market to Ugandan products and do away with the protectionism exhibited by his predecessor’s regime.
“Uganda should bring cheaper milk here because they can produce it more cheaply. We should (also endeavour) to add value to our milk,” he said.
The idea, Ruto argued, was to allow in goods from neighbours in exchange for their opening up to ensure Nairobi benefits from the provisions of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“We should be adding value (to our milk), producing butter, powder for sale in the DRC, Central Africa and West Africa and we import cheaper milk from Uganda for our consumption,” Ruto said.
