The County Government of Uasin Gishu on Tuesday hosted dairy stakeholders and government agencies, in an event that seeks to strengthen and review policies for the sector.

The public participation exercise, attended by officials from the State Department of Livestock, Kenya Dairy Board Authority and other stakeholders, primarily sought to review the Dairy Industry Act, a policy that was assented to the law in 1958.

Speaking at the event, the Director of Veterinary Services, Dr. Philip Biama, said that the review intends to strengthen the dairy industry to meet the needs of the farmer, the industry operators and consumers.

Dr Biama said that the programme seeks to gather views and comments from stakeholders to enrich the Bill before escalating it to the next level.

The Act has been amended 12 times, the latest of which was in 2006.

The purpose of the Bill is to regulate and oversight the dairy industry; promote the safety of dairy produce, enhance consumer protection,
and promote the development of the dairy industry as well as domestic and international trade in dairy products.

Furthermore, it provides mechanisms for the collection of data and information for sustainability and a competitive dairy industry.

Livestock Director Abraham Kiptanui, and Dairy Board Livestock Director William Maritim were present during the exercise.