By Rebecca Wangari, DevReporter, Murang’a County
Key Highlights
- Fish farming in Murang’a County
- High cost of fish feed has been a major challenge to the farmers
- The county assembly has approved a budgetary allocation to facilitate revamping of the venture
Faced with economic hardship and dwindling financial support, a group of elderly residents in Maragua, Murang’a County, have found hope in an unexpected venture, fish farming.
Despite receiving a Sh2000 monthly stipend from the government under the cash fund Transfer Fund, they say the money is barely enough to cater for their basic needs.
Poultry farming
The elderly who have formed a group dubbed Kemuka Self-help Group, came together close to a decade ago and explored on various projects which would help them generate some income.
They settled for poultry farming, which they did for a several years, but increased theft of chicken in the area forced them to abandon the venture.
In 2021, luck came knocking when the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), came looking for farmers’ groups for funding on various projects.
Kemuka made a proposal for fish farming and they got funding to start off the project. Ann Wairimu, the chairperson of the group says the organization did a fishpond, gave a dam liner and bought fingerings for them.
Wairimu says they were supposed to run a common project at the homestead of one of the members but they felt it was better if each would get their individual pond.
Challenges faced
Through joint efforts, they mobilized resources and managed to do the ponds and stocked them with fingerlings, but having very little knowledge on fish keeping, their first attempt was full of challenges and the majority of the fish died due to poor handling.
Wairimu said for the second round, they toured a fish farm for basic training after which they bought fingerings for farm.
“We are hoping this time round we are going to get better results and our fish will mature ready for market,” she remarked.
Wairimu is appealing to the county government to help them purchase refrigerators where they can be storing the fish after harvesting.
Ruth Wairimu, a member of the group said fish farming would serve as the best alternative source of income for the members who are at an advanced age.
Wairumu says they are not able to go for menial jobs and the venture which is less demanding comes in handy for them.
“Fish farming is not demanding, you are only required to feed them and this gives you time to tend to other duties” she said.
Alternative feeds
Joseph Mungai, another member, however lamented over the high cost of fish feeds, with a bag of 25 kilograms going for Sh7,000.
He said that they are forced to look for other alternative foods such as omena, which is cheaper, combining this with planting sweet potato vines so that the fish can also feed on the leaves.
“We should be trained on how to make fish feed using the locally available materials without compromising the quality as this would save us a lot of money” remarked Mungai.
