The Kenya Dairy Board (KDB) has disclosed that over 30 per cent of milk traded in Eldoret by hawkers is not fit for human consumption.
The Board is now calling on the residents not to purchase milk from unlicensed persons.
Senior Inspection Officer Kizito Kitele said most of the milk that are unsafe for human use are circulated by hawkers who are working against the set laws of milk sale.
"According to the dairy sector Act, hawking of milk is illegal because of poor sanitation that poses health risks, just like meat is sold in butchers and not hawked around, milk needs to be sold in stationery premises that have been accredited and licensed," said Kizito.
Kizito was speaking in Eldoret town after a morning raid where they arrested 15 milk hawkers with over 400 litres of milk. He said if the commodity is not pasteurised and sold in hygienic environment it may cause an outbreak of serious diseases.
The inspection officer was appalled that most of the hawkers still package their milk in plastic containers whose use is illegal because they are difficult to clean and easily contaminate milk.
"Plastic containers are difficult to clean as compared to the recommended aluminum ones hence the former easily contaminate milk. In numerous cases farmers give out good quality milk but it is contaminated with preservatives or adulterated with water by the hawkers," he explained.
According to Kizito, adulterating milk with water to increase the volumes is the major challenge in Eldoret basing on the tests they had conducted.
"Farmers should join cooperatives and use milk coolers that have been stalled widely across the counties by the government, this will ensure they safeguard consumers' health besides getting a good bargain for their output and even do value addition," Kizito observed.
The official also pointed out that compliance to safety and hygienic regulation standards by milk traders in the North Rift region was at 60 per cent, saying they have shifted focus to engage more traders to comply to avoid revocation of licenses.