Trans nzoia: The government has distributed 4,000 improved indigenous chicken day-old chicks to smallholder farmers in Trans Nzoia County in a bid to boost food security and enhance income generation. The chicks were distributed through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development to 31 self-help groups at Mateket Primary School, Motosiet Ward, Cherangany Sub County.
According to Kenya News Agency, Josephat Smollo, Deputy Director of Livestock Production, represented Principal Secretary for Livestock Development Jonathan Mueke at the event. Smollo stated that the programme is designed to transform the livestock sector by empowering smallholder farmers with improved poultry breeds capable of generating food and income at the household level. He highlighted that the improved indigenous breed combines the hardiness and adaptability of indigenous chickens with enhanced productivity traits such as faster growth, increased egg production, and improved resistance to diseases.
Smollo further explained that the improved chicks can produce between 200 and 220 eggs per year, compared to indigenous chickens, which produce about 45 eggs annually. The improved birds reach a mature weight of approximately two kilogrammes in three and a half months, compared to indigenous chickens, which take about eight months to reach a weight of approximately 1.5 kilogrammes. The initiative targets women, youth, and vulnerable groups, aiming to strengthen food security at the household level while creating opportunities for income generation and self-employment. Smollo urged the beneficiaries to take good care of the chicks and utilise the knowledge provided through training to ensure the project’s sustainability.
Trans Nzoia County Woman Representative Lilian Siyoi expressed that the distribution of the chicks is a practical way of empowering women and other vulnerable groups by giving them an opportunity to establish income-generating activities. Siyoi thanked the national government for supporting farmers through programmes under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), stating that the initiative would help create employment and improve livelihoods. She mentioned that beneficiaries had been trained on how to rear the chicks, and once the birds mature, farmers would be able to sell them or their products to generate income. Siyoi emphasized that poultry farming would enable beneficiaries to become self-employed while contributing to improved food and nutrition security in their households.
A beneficiary, Teresia Cherotich, thanked the national government for choosing to empower farmers with productive assets. She expressed that the chicks would provide her with a sustainable source of income compared to receiving a small amount of cash. Cherotich explained that the poultry project would enable her to meet urgent family needs, including paying school fees whenever her children are sent home, while also providing food for her household. She conveyed hope of becoming financially independent by raising the chicks, selling them when necessary, and reinvesting the proceeds into the poultry enterprise.
