In the regional context, Kenya stands out as economically stronger than its neighbouring countries, boasting a larger food processing sector. Despite this, Kenya resorts to imports to meet its staple food needs, particularly for maize and wheat. The key segments of Kenya’s food processing industry are prominently found in milling and beverages. However, many mills operate below their capacity levels due to inadequate supplies of raw materials and stiff competition from neighbouring nations.

Other notable domains within the processing sector encompass dairy, as well as fruit and vegetable
processing. While these sectors exhibit strength in production, they grapple with avoidable losses stemming from inefficiencies in waste management and subpart quality control systems. There exists significant potential for improvement in both value addition and processing technology to enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of these crucial sectors.