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Geofry Otinga the director of Lugari Farmers development company address the standard on how they started slaughter house for chicken. BY DUNCAN OCHOLLA
Necessity is the mother of invention, they say. That is indeed the thinking a group of 12 farmers had when they came together to start a Sh15million chicken slaughterhouse.
Having seen the demand for improved kienyeji breeds in Kakamega county, they saw the need to pool their resources and start a chicken slaughter house.
The 12, led by Geoffrey Otinga, recruited other 12,000 farmers in Lugari, Likuyani and Turbo constituencies in Uasin Gishu County into the business.
“All of us are individual chicken farmers. Instead of doing our thing on our own, to increase our income, we decided that each farmer start a slaughterhouse which will be handling 1,000 birds daily. The market is there.”
To perfect their craft, the group undertook a specialised training run by Kenya Agricultural Livestock and Research Organisation (Kalro) in 2013.
Otinga, a large-scale poultry farmer in Mautuma village says the members were trained on how to rear, manage and market the improved indigenous chicken breed.
They were also taught, how to brood chicks, manage day- and month-old birds and marketing.
Before they came up with the idea of opening the slaughterhouse in Lugari, they wrote a proposal and presented it to Western Kenya Development Driven Programme which gave them Sh15million.
The County Government of Kakamega through Commission of Cooperatives gave them an additional Sh710, 000 for installing electricity.
Though they are making strides, challenges still abound.
“We are in urgent need of a cold room which is key in a slaughter house and water supply system which will cost Sh3 million and Sh500, 000 respectively.
“We have written a proposal to the county government and are optimistic it will go through,” he says. They also plan to put up a factory at Pan Paper Centre in Lugari to produce feeds and set up a restaurant.
“They have met all National Environment Management Authority requirements.
So far, they have engaged farmers from Likuyani, Lugari, Malava and Uasin Gishu to supply birds to the slaughter house.
“I am sure when we pick up, supply will not be an issue. Farmers have already embraced the improved indigenous poultry, supplied by Kalro,” Otinga says.
The produce will be supplied to locals, restaurants and supermarkets in Kakamega, Kisumu, Eldoret, Trans Nzoia, Busia and Vihiga.
Meanwhile, poultry business has been rewarding to the farmers. Constant Lamwenya, from Marula village, who ventured into poultry farming in 2013 with 100 chicks, now has over 5,000 chicken.
“I have been able to pay fees for my two children in the university from what I earn by selling chicken and eggs,” she says.
The Standard Group Plc is a multi-media organization
with investments in media platforms spanning newspaper print operations,
television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The Standard Group
is recognized as a leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key influence in
matters of national and international interest.
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