While giraffes, rhinos, lions and other iconic wildlife framed by Nairobi’s skyline may come to mind when one thinks of Kenya, the East African country is also home to dogs, cats and other companion animals. In fact, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service analysts rank pet food among the top opportunities for US companies looking to export products to Kenya. Like most of the world, dog and cat food is the core of the Kenyan pet food industry.
By 2022, Kenya’s dog and cat food market will reach 2,568 metric tons. Pet food imported into Kenya was valued at US$3.7million, up from about US$960,000 in 2010. Imports of dog and cat food grew at an annual rate of 6.7% from 2018 to 2011. This growth follows the overall pet food market growth rate of 27% from 2006 to 2010. However, the Kenyan government places a 35% import tariff on dog and cat food. Kenya has potential as an export market for US pet food makers, but competition from Turkey, Germany, Belgium, South Africa and Spain could pose a challenge. However, USDA analysts believe Kenya’s pet food market has good growth potential for US brands.
Kenyan pet ownership
A 2022 survey of Kenyans by TGM Research found that 54% of respondents owned at least one pet. Cats are the most commonly kept pets in Kenya with 68% of pet owners owning them. Dogs beat cats by 63%. However, ownership of other pets is lower. Four percent of survey participants have pet fish, while 8% keep pet rabbits. Only 2% reported owning pet parrots and 1% kept turtles as pets.
Supermarkets are the main source of food for Kenyan pets at 42%. Of TGM Research survey respondents, 15% purchased pet food at specialty pet retail outlets. Another 7% bought pet food online. The most commonly used pet food is homemade, followed by Reflex and Royal Canin brands.
