Kirinyaga County leads other Counties in Mt Kenya that have embraced commercial fish farming as a source of income for farmers.
A project initiated by Governor Anne Waiguru during her first term is now bearing fruits after farmers made their first harvest amid rising consumer demand for fish in the region.
Governor Waiguru extended her support to selected self-help groups to construct fish ponds which were then stocked with fingerlings while the farmers were also given free fish feeds for seven months.
Two of the groups made their first harvest on Monday and sold out the catch immediately.
Twenty community groups were selected after applying for funding by the County Government that has been assisting farmers to diversify on their agricultural activities to increase their income.
The governor said the fish farming project is one of the components of Wezesha Kirinyaga Economic program that has been supporting farmers to increase their revenue streams.
“Fish farming will provide alternative livelihoods and give direct support to women and youth who will be involved at various stages of the project value chain which include, cooking, selling and transportation of fish. Others will be employed at fish eateries which have now become very popular in our county,” the governor said.
Waiguru said though Kirinyaga is known for cash crops such as tea, coffee and rice, fish rearing is a new stream for farmers to diversify their income.
“The project was also informed by the huge deficit of fish with Kenya import unable to sustain the demand. As such, half of all the fish produced in Kenya comes from aquaculture while the other half comes from ocean and lake fishing,” she said.
The beneficiaries have testified that integrating fish farming has turned out to be a game changer in their farming practice. “We are very happy that our fish is now mature and we have started making sales and getting some for our families to consume.” Said Caroline Wambui, a member of The Great Star Youth Group from Gichugu Constituency.
She said the youth group is grateful to Governor Waiguru for initiating the project saying it is one way of empowering the youth.
Kiamurugu Tissue Bananas Group Elija Karari said the 25-member group received 1,600 fingerlings which they are currently harvesting and selling.
He said that once they have sold the current harvest, they will use the proceeds to restock their fish pond and buy fish feeds to sustain the project.
Fish mongers have opened shop in most of the major towns across the county while fish eateries have increased drastically especilly in Kagio town.
“The demand for fish is very high, am surprised. I started it as a trial business but now am in it fully, people are coming in their numbers to buy cooked fish. The only problem is the low supply,” Kagio fish vendor James Bundi says.
Hellen Atago, a resident of Kagio lauded the Governor for the saying demand for fish in the county has increased as more families incorporate fish in their diet.
Governor Waiguru said she hopes Kirinyaga will achieve its fishing potential saying it’s endowed with favorable aquaculture conditions.
The Governor said she is working towards increasing annual fish production from the current 29.4 tons valued at Ksh 12.8 million to 62 tons which will fetch the farmers around Ksh 30 million per year.
After her re-election, Waiguru reiterated her support to farmers through expansion of Wezesha project to ensure that every household in the count is impacted.
“As we are all aware, agriculture is the backbone of our county’s economy. Through our Wezesha Kirinyaga program, we have been implementing a robust program to increase agricultural productivity with an aim of putting more money in the pockets of our farmers,” she said.
Waiguru has over the years called upon the county residents to embrace routine consumption of fish as a way of boosting their health as well as growing the county’s economy. She said that consumption of excess red meat has been attributed to high prevalence of non-communicable diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and kidney diseases among the county residents noting that fish provides a good source of the recommended white meat.
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