After a five-minute walk from the Elburgon-Njoro road, we arrive at the farm of Mr Josphat Kiarie, where we find him feeding his mixed breed sheep. Having started out as a butcher, Kiarie began keeping sheep in 2012. “I bought three medium-sized female Hampshire breeds from a farmer who reared them on a large scale in Narok County. I spent Sh15,000 of the Sh20,000 I had as my capital to purchase them, and used the balance to construct a simple, temporary structure,” said Mr Kiarie. He added that he had opted to keep sheep instead of cows since they were highly marketable and could be sold quickly to generate cash in an emergency, and it was easier to find customers for them than for cows.
As his land was big enough for grazing, the flock bred after five months, and by the end of the year, all three ewes had given birth. After five years of proper feeding and monitoring, Kiarie sold his flock when he realised that his breed only gave birth once a year, unlike others that gave birth twice a year. "I sold my entire flock and used the proceeds to buy another breed of five sheep, four females and one male, at a cost of Sh30,000. This breed was also good for meat and wool, just like my former breed. This breed was also able to give birth twice a year," said Mr Kiarie, adding that, every 18 months, he would sell some of his flock and replace them with new ones to keep his business moving.
