Officer’s journey from county job to organic fertiliser trade

Between 2015 and 2017, Thuranira Thiaine worked at the Meru County Government as a communications officer. One image from this period never left his mind: long queues of farmers waiting patiently, sometimes anxiously, to receive fertiliser.

It was not just the numbers that struck him, but the faces too. The elderly dominated the lines: men and women who had tilled the land all their lives, yet who were now dependent on a system that could barely meet demand.

Seeing them struggle to access a resource so crucial to food production raised an uncomfortable question in his mind: why should farmers struggle to obtain fertiliser when the necessary materials were available all around them?

This question would later become the seed of Mazao Organic, an enterprise which is now quietly reshaping how farmers think about soil, food and sustainability.

“At the time, I was still a public servant, grappling with bureaucracy and slow decision-making,” he recalls.

He remembers how a Kenyan who worked for an organic fertiliser manufacturing firm in Yemen had approached the county government with a proposal to partner with them to supply organic fertiliser locally to smallholder farmers.

The idea made sense, but the system was not ready. Procedures dragged on, approvals stalled, and eventually the opportunity slipped away.

After leaving his job in the public sector and setting up his own business, Mr Thuranira reconnected with the Kenyan technologist in 2020.

This time, there were no bureaucratic obstacles or files gathering dust. Within months, the idea had taken shape.

Together with engineer Charles Onyango, Mr Thuranira co-founded Mazao Organic, an organic fertiliser manufacturing company based on the belief that Kenyan farmers deserve affordable, locally produced products that nourish the soil.

Prior to pursuing a career in agriculture, Mr Thuranira spent over a decade working in banking and financial services.

After graduating with a degree in Mass Media and Communication in 2005, he joined the banking industry.

“Banking was fulfilling financially, but it lacked a deeper sense of purpose. I wanted work that felt personal; work that could create jobs beyond myself,” he explains.

After spending ten years in the financial sector, he joined the county government. However, agriculture slowly emerged as his true calling — not because it was easy, but because it was real.

His interest in farming intensified during his time in the devolved government. His communications role brought him closer to farmers and county programmes, exposing him to the daily realities of food production.

"It was also a time of common fertiliser shortages, delays, and distribution controversies, especially around election cycles and during the Covid-19 pandemic. Elderly farmers would rush whenever fertiliser distribution was announced, fearful of missing out," he notes.

He kept asking himself why farm inputs could not be produced closer to farmers.

“Meru is a food basket. We have forests, animals and water. Why are we importing soil nutrition?” he asks.

At the same time, he became increasingly concerned about the health and environmental consequences of prolonged chemical use in farming.

Over the years, synthetic inputs had become the go-to solution for everything: weed control, pest management, and even poor yields.

Farmers no longer uproot weeds with the jembe. Instead, they spray herbicides that burn the leaves but leave the roots intact. The weeds return stronger, demanding even more chemicals. Each cycle increases the acidity of the soil.

These chemicals kill the beneficial microorganisms that give soil life, Thuranira explains.

As microbial diversity declines, the soil becomes dependent on external inputs. Only areas untouched by chemicals — forests, riverbanks, and undisturbed land — remain naturally productive.

"That is why forests remain green without fertiliser or irrigation. They produce fruit, yet no one tends to them. The ecosystem is left undisturbed,” he says.

Mazao Organic was born out of the desire to restore that balance.

Founded in 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the company is based on partnerships that are gradually transforming the fertiliser industry in the country.

"Before we started production, I visited my business partner in Yemen to see how we could build on our efforts to promote sustainable farming," he explains.

There, Mr Thuranira encountered fertiliser technologies that relied on diverse microorganisms — mesophiles, thermophiles, and saline microbes — sourced from forests, deserts, and saline environments. His partner understood the science. He also understood markets, finance and product development.

Armed with these skills and knowledge and backed by Sh5 million in capital, the journey to formulate organic fertiliser began.

"We mobilised funds, and I had to sell a plot of land to finance the project," says Thuranira.

However, the start was not easy, especially when it came to securing approvals from the relevant authorities and marketing a new product.

"Starting a manufacturing business during a global pandemic was risky. Lockdowns, restrictions on movement and other limitations crippled logistics, and it was not easy,” he adds.

Today, Mazao Organic Ltd is a familiar name in the fertiliser industry and, more importantly, a key promoter of sustainable farming in the country.

What started with the two founders sharing a modest two-bedroom apartment and converting one of the rooms into a processing plant has grown into a factory spanning half an acre in Uruu, Kianjai, Tigania West, Meru County.

The facility processes a range of farm inputs, with liquid organic fertiliser dominating production.

"It is a multipurpose fertiliser that is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK). As well as nourishing crops, it offers protection. It contains anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-pest properties, reducing the need for separate chemical sprays,” he told Seeds of Gold during an interview at the facility.

Other products include Mazao Digester, a disinfectant which is also used as a raw material in fertiliser processing and in the production of biogas and briquettes — charcoal made from fertiliser residue and sawdust.

“Nothing here goes to waste. We have embraced circular production,” he emphasised.

Animal manure forms the backbone of production. Manure from cows, goats, sheep and chickens is used, with chicken waste being particularly valuable due to its high nitrogen content. “We avoid pig waste due to disease risks,” Thuranira says.

The second key ingredient is a mixture of cultured microorganisms that were brought from Yemen and are now being multiplied continuously locally. These microbes — mesophiles, thermophiles and saline microbes sourced from forests, deserts and saline environments — dramatically accelerate decomposition.

Through the Mazao Digester system, manure decomposes in just ten days compared to six months in a traditional compost heap.

Production of organic liquid fertiliser begins with the collection of animal manure, which is composted to allow initial decomposition and stabilisation.

The composted material is then crushed into a fine powder to ensure uniformity, before being exposed to high heat — a critical step that eliminates pathogens, weed seeds and harmful organisms.

Mr Thuranira says that the sterilised manure is then cultured and inoculated with microorganisms to enhance nutrient availability and biological activity.

High-pressure water is then introduced to extract soluble nutrients, converting the cultured material into a nutrient-rich liquid.

The mixture is then filtered and condensed to produce a clear liquid fertiliser, which is packaged for distribution.

The company operates from a processing facility that was largely built using locally fabricated machines.

As importing equipment was too expensive, the team improvised by assembling boilers, crushers, activators, condensers and purifiers using local expertise.

With a litre of fertiliser retailing at Sh2,000 — enough to spray an acre — production has grown from 100 litres per month to over 1,000 litres.

Mazao Organic now serves around 5,000 farmers across Kenya. Starting with just two founders, the company has grown to employ 12 full-time staff, and Thuranira estimates that it supports a further 120 indirect jobs.

When asked whether the company had broken even, he replied, “We broke even within the first year. This shows that more and more people are switching to sustainable farming as they become more aware of their lifestyle and health.”

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