From Sh600 capital, poultry farmer now millionaire

By Njoki Chege

Geoffrey Kago, 36, bought his first poultry while in class four from his mother at Sh20.

Today, his poultry farm that consists of all kinds of poultry — ostriches, quails and rare breeds of chicken, turkeys and guinea fowls is worth more than Sh12 million.

As soon as we walk into his farm in Gitaru, Kikuyu, we are welcomed by a buzz of activities.

On one side, several carpenters are constructing incubators with plywood and metal, and on the other, workers are packing up some guinea fowls into cages readying them for transportation.

Several metres away is a gate that opens to a field that houses six ostriches having their afternoon stroll.

Top: Geoffrey Kago at his poultry farm in Gitaru, Kikuyu. [PHOTO: JOSEPH kIPTARUS /STANDARD]

We are excited by this sight that can only be found in a game reserve or animal orphanage, and as we walk into the field — with ostriches towering above us, one question lingers — how did it all begin?

When he purchased a rare breed of chicken (Spanish Jungle) from his mother at Sh20, Kago only wanted to support himself in instances where his parents could not.

By the time he was in class eight, the stock had multiplied to 200 chicken. He would sell each chicken at Sh20 and an egg for 80 cents.

"I just wanted to have a sense of ownership and be self-independent. Selling the chicken and eggs gave me a financial boost and I was motivated to keep my stock growing," says Kago.

While in secondary school, his parents could not afford to pay his school fees, but that was not a reason to get Kago worried.

He had his chicken to depend on.

He put himself through high school and even had enough money for pocket money and to increase his stock.

They say necessity is the mother of invention and indeed, Kago saw the necessity of having an incubator to fast track the hatching process of his chicken.

Therefore, together with a few friends, they constructed their first incubator — made of plywood metal bars to support and turn the eggs and a thermostat to control the temperature and humidification.

This was just the beginning of big things to come.

After high school, Kago travelled to Nairobi and tarmacked for six years while doing several odd jobs, including hawking.

"I worked as an undertaker for two years at Montezuma Funeral Home until I turned to manufacturing pool tables which I did for two years," he says.

Great idea

In 2002, when the Kibaki led NARC Government took over the country’s leadership; Kago vividly recalls the president’s swearing in speech.

Says Kago; "Our president told us to do something for our country and use our talents to empower Kenya. He said that if anyone had a great idea, the Government was ready and willing to help as part of their economic blueprint to rejuvenate the country,"he says.

Kago embarked on research. He researched on incubators, ideal hatching conditions, how to breed different birds and most important, how to manipulate technology for successful poultry farming.

With no university education or expertise, he did his research using high school text books such as Abbot and a selection of university books and encyclopedias.

He started Kaki enterprises, with the name Kaki being a merging of his name (Kago) and that of the president (Kibaki). He began his business a fresh with only Sh600 which he used to buy two chicken and manufactured his own still-air incubator.

"The two chicken laid eggs which hatched and bore more chicken and in one year, I had a range of rare breeds of chicken, turkey, quails, guniea fowls and ostriches," offers Kago.

So, why ostriches? "Ostriches were an unexploited field and so were guinea fowls and quails. I did my research on ostriches and in September 2005, I decided to rear them," he says.

He obtained a hatchery permit for the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) that allowed him to collect 10 ostrich eggs from the game.

After incubation, only three of the 10 eggs hatched into ostriches.

All the while, he visited areas such as Lake Baringo where Ostrich farming was taking place to learn a lesson or two about the trade.

"I wanted to get acquainted with the hatching techniques and feeding habits of the ostriches," he says.

In 2006, he disposed of his third batch of ostriches and sold four ostriches at Sh80,000 each.

He channeled the money to boost his business and bought a pickup.

He started breeding again in 2009, but unfortunately, all the ostriches died due to poor handling.

This disaster was an opportunity to learn about the unique nature of ostriches.

He explains, "Ostriches are very delicate in their early days — from day one to three months. They need to be very warm, well fed and be separated from the bigger ones. When they are that young, they have a tendency of refusing to eat, especially dry food and that is why it is vital to feed them on roughage such as sukumawiki," he says.

However, ostriches and rare chicken breeds are not the only poultry he keeps. Kago also keeps guinea fowls and quails (aluru (luo), isindu (luhya).

"Quails are also an unexploited field and they are mostly reared by foreigners. They are unique and very nutritious," he says.

A mature quail that weighs about 400 grams is worth Sh500 and the eggs are roughly Sh 20 in the market.

Making incubators

Kago is a prolific manufacturer of incubators as well. They are made of laminated waterproof wood and metal bars and fitted with either thermostats or a computer microprocessor.

Laminated waterproof wood is advisable because it cannot absorb moisture and makes it easier for to clean that incubator.

"We customise our incubators to fit your needs. Some can hold as little as 120 eggs and others as much as 3,000 eggs. Others want analogue incubators that have thermostats and use paraffin and electricity, while others require a big, digital incubator with a computerised microprocessor that uses electricity," he explains.

That Kenyans are ignorant of such kind of technology has been a challenge to Kago, because many people are doing the right business in the wrong way.

Says he "People don’t take time to research, understand and embrace the technology available for such kind of businesses to prosper. They go to China, spend a lot of money on incubators, yet they are locally available at a reasonable price."

According to Kago, there is a huge market waiting for unique poultry farmers such as ostrich, quail and guinea fowl farmers, only that people have not yet learnt to appreciate the wild indigenous birds we have in Kenya.

Kago sells his incubators to the Government, farmers and recently to secondary schools.

He also offers farm tourism where students and interested farmers visit his farm to learn the trade.

Kago advises Kenyans to look further than the usual poultry farming in order to stand out.

"Chicken farming should be the entry point but you should learn to diversify. You should also learn to consult with the right people to get the right advice and recommendations in terms of the best technologies and best practices," he advises.

His business has expanded, as he has another farm in Laikipia and Eldoret, and currently, he has employed 15 permanent employees.

He hopes to extend his business to South Sudan, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania.

Indeed, the sky is the limit for this man.