What you need to know:
- Kuku ni Pesa project, an initiative that seeks to boost poultry farming in the county and targets 3,000 women groups
- Hellen Obado started the initiative with Sh8.2 million she fundraised
- The project has incubators and brooders for all the 40 wards and equipped women with skills on poultry farming
Migori First Lady Hellen Obado recently launched Kuku ni Pesa project, an initiative that seeks to boost poultry farming in the county, with her aim being to reach 3,000 women groups. She spoke to BARACK ODUOR on what is at stake in this project.
Kuku ni Pesa loosely translates to there is money in poultry. Tell us what this is all about.
The project aims at making women keep poultry for commercial purposes, and sell the eggs and chicken. I started the initiative with Sh8.2 million I fundraised. I have partnered with the county’s Department of Agriculture to implement this project.
What is the progress of the project so far?
We have bought incubators and brooders for all the 40 wards and equipped women with skills on poultry farming. We are now distributing over 200,000 improved kienyeji chicken to all the county’s wards. I have encouraged the women to form groups in every ward for sustainability of the project.
How are incubators and other electrical appliances going to work in an area where electricity supply is limited?
We have stationed the incubators in a central place where there is electricity supply and we also have power backup gadgets. We have further recruited veterinary officers who ensure the chicks are vaccinated and they teach the women how to take care of them.
Where will the farmers sell their products?
Eggs consumed in many parts of Migori County come from Uganda, thus, we believe that there is a ready market. We are banking on local consumption in homes and even in hotels.
The market for eggs is insatiable. Once we start producing our own, people will not go for the imports.
