Kenyans have always known the cow as the king of the farm. Walk through most villages in Central, Rift Valley or Western Kenya and you will see a few dairy cows grazing by the road. But now there is a new conversation going on about another animal that has been quietly feeding millions of people in Asia for centuries: the water buffalo.
President William Ruto's proposal to explore buffalo farming in Kenya has got many farmers, investors and ordinary people asking a simple question. Can this animal really work here?
To answer that, many people are now looking at India, the country that has done more than most with buffaloes. In India, buffalo farming is not a small backyard hobby.
It is a proper commercial activity. Water buffaloes are reared for milk and for meat, and together they make a big contribution to the country's farm economy. India has built a large buffalo dairy industry and is also one of the major exporters of buffalo meat in the world.
For a country like Kenya, which is always looking for new ways to grow its livestock sector, that kind of track record is hard to ignore.
The idea of buffalo milk may sound strange to some Kenyans, but the milk itself is special. Buffalo milk is thicker and richer than cow's milk. It has more fat, more protein and more minerals.
According to recent research published on the PubMed Central platform of the US National Library of Medicine, buffalo milk makes up roughly 15 percent of the world's total milk production.
The same research says buffalo milk has higher levels of casein, which is the main protein used in cheese making, and its fat content is nearly double that of cow's milk.
That is why buffalo milk is so popular for making mozzarella, paneer, ghee, butter and thick yoghurt. Anyone who has tasted a good buffalo mozzarella will tell you the difference is real.
Still, it is important to be honest here. Buffalo milk is not magic. How much milk a buffalo gives depends on many things, including the breed, what it eats, how well it is managed, and how far along it is in its lactation period.
The lactation period of many dairy buffaloes lasts around 270 to 310 days, although it can change from one animal to another. Farmers who want to know how their animals are doing need to measure milk output every day and also track the total yield over the whole lactation period. Without proper records, it is very hard to tell whether a farm is making money or losing it.
Two breeds keep coming up in these discussions. The Murrah and the Nili-Ravi are both known as high-yielding buffalo breeds. Under good management they can produce large amounts of milk. But the research is clear that their actual yields depend on genetics, nutrition, animal health and general farm management.
In other words, you cannot just buy a Murrah buffalo and expect it to fill your bucket. The animal needs good feed, clean water, proper shelter, regular vet checks and a farmer who knows what he or she is doing.
This is the same lesson Kenyan dairy farmers have learnt over many years with their cows, and it applies even more strongly to buffaloes, which are still new to most of our farmers.
There is also the matter of markets. India has built strong commercial markets for both buffalo milk and buffalo meat. Its milk is used to make many dairy products that people buy every day, and its meat is exported to international markets under strict regulatory and food-safety rules.
Kenya would have to think carefully about this part of the picture too. Before a single buffalo is bought, investors and farmers would need to know who will buy the milk, at what price, and how the milk will be collected, cooled and transported.
A farm that produces milk with no buyer nearby is a farm with a serious problem. Kenya already has a cooperative and processing system for cow's milk, and some of these structures could possibly be used for buffalo milk, but that would need proper study.
Of course, there are also questions about whether buffaloes suit Kenya's weather and land. Buffaloes are known to handle hot climates well and they like water and wet areas, which is why they do so well in parts of South Asia.
Kenya has many different climates, from the dry north to the wetter highlands and the lake region. This means the success of buffalo farming would probably depend on the region. Areas with good grazing, reliable water and a steady supply of feed would be better candidates. Farmers in drier areas would need to think about how to keep animals healthy during long dry spells.
The biggest lesson from India, perhaps, is that buffalo farming became successful because it was treated as a serious business and not just a side project.
The country invested in research, breeding programmes, animal health services and markets. Kenya would be wise to do the same. That means government agencies working with universities, research institutions, vets and farmers to test which breeds work best here, how to feed them cheaply, and how to protect them from common diseases.
It also means making sure small-scale farmers, who make up the backbone of Kenya's livestock sector, are not left behind by big investors who might push them out.
For the ordinary Kenyan farmer, the promise of buffalo farming is clear. A well-managed buffalo could bring in more milk, more income and more variety in the products that families can sell. Investors could see new opportunities in dairy processing, cheese making, and meat production.
And for the country as a whole, a stronger livestock sector could mean more milk available in shops, fewer imports of dairy products, and more jobs in rural areas. These are big gains, and they are the reason why the proposal is getting so much attention.
But as with every new idea, the excitement must be matched with careful planning. Kenya should not rush into buffalo farming just because it sounds exciting or because another country has done well with it.
The sensible path is to study India's model closely, pilot the idea on a small scale, keep honest records, and let the results guide the next step. If the numbers work, the country can expand. If they do not, farmers will have saved themselves a lot of money and heartache.
In the end, buffalo farming in Kenya is a question worth asking seriously. The animal is hardy, the milk is rich, and the markets in the region are growing. But the success of the idea will depend on the details: good breeds, good feed, good management, good markets and good policy.
Kenya has a long history of turning good livestock ideas into real farm incomes, and if it applies the same care to buffaloes, this could become another proud chapter in the country's dairy story.
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