Makueni: Makueni County Government, through the Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, has launched the Mifugo Ni Mali Project at the Kwathoka Agriculture Training Centre (ATC) to boost poultry farming in the area. The initiative is being implemented in partnership with the Kenya Commercial Bank Foundation (KCBF) and is designed to strengthen poultry production through rigorous farmer training, coaching, and mentoring.
According to Kenya News Agency, during the launch, 17 farmers, including women, youths, and people with disabilities, each received 300 vaccinated one-day-old chicks to kick-start and expand their enterprises. Makueni Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili, who officiated the launch in the Kwathoka area, encouraged unemployed youths to consider poultry farming as a viable business opportunity that requires minimal space. She urged them not to remain idle at home but to venture into this business to create wealth.
Mulili also encouraged women and people with disabilities to engage in poultry farming, assuring them of government support to ensure their success. She highlighted that poultry farming is a prevalent enterprise in Makueni, with approximately 85 percent of farmers engaged in it, reflecting a 55 percent growth since 2013. The poultry subsector, as validated by Statistical Abstract data in 2023, was valued at Sh3.77 billion and supported by 1.57 million birds.
According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), KCB Foundation will support the growth of small and medium enterprises through business development to create wealth and employment among youth and women. The County Government will provide extension services, veterinary support, and access to cold-chain and vaccine-handling infrastructure to participating farmers, enhancing production and disease control at the grassroots level.
KCB Human Resource Manager, Cleopas Ambira, expressed the foundation’s commitment to funding farmers and helping them create wealth to uplift their living standards. He emphasized that collaboration with the County Government and Kenchic will ensure farmers have market access for their produce.
County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Agriculture and Livestock, Elizabeth Muli, stated that the Department has intensified efforts to transform poultry production. This includes increasing the productivity of local chickens from an average of 45-60 eggs per hen per year to between 120 and 180 eggs. She noted that there are over 240 incubators operational across the County, producing between 100 and 1,056 chicks per cycle, while 476 village-level vaccination service providers have been trained and equipped to bolster disease control.
Through this collaboration, the County aims to stimulate further growth in the poultry value chain, improve linkages in input supply and markets, and enhance incomes and livelihoods for farming households across Makueni. The launch was attended by Agriculture Chief Officer Japheth Kiminza, area Member of County Assembly Elizabeth Mutinda, among other government officials, and local residents.
