Njihia Wambugu put Sh200,000 in a poultry project a year ago as a retirement investment plan.
But eight months on, he was forced to sell all the birds and close the project.
In January this year, Wambugu would collect 30 trays of eggs per week from 300 layers. He sold each tray at 300, earning him Sh36,000 in a month.
But his joy was short-lived. Production reduced to 10 trays in the first week of June. A week later, he could only get five trays, and some young birds died.
“I lost over Sh150,000 in the first three weeks of July. A veterinary doctor told me that the chicken had been fed on maize bran mixed with indigestible substances like sand,” Wambugu said.
His poultry house in Murinduko, Mwea East subcounty, is now empty.
But Wambugu is not alone. Thousands of poultry farmers in Kirinyaga county are languishing in poverty due to losses arising from the incessant adulteration of animal feed in the country.
The Kenya Bureau of Standards and Agriculture ministry officials estimate that more than 80 per cent of the poultry feed on the market is contaminated with substances like sand, ash and sawdust.
“Adulterated feed can kill poultry and animals,” Dr Sabriano Mbae Mbauni of the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organisation explains.
“If they don’t cause death, they stunt the poultry’s growth, leading to low productivity and an increase in disease burden, which more than doubles farm expenses,” he said.
Dr Mbauni said feed adulteration is widespread, but is more pronounced in areas that have a high concentration of poultry and dairy cattle. The areas include Kiambu, Kirinyaga and Muranga.
“The problem is made worse by the fact that most feed manufacturers, especially small-scale ones, lack basic training in animal nutrition and feed milling technology,” he said.
“Feed account for more than 70 per cent of farm costs and, therefore, they have a significant effect on the farmers’ production costs and profits. No wonder, many farmers have abandoned the livestock business.”
Mbauni said if left unchecked, feed adulteration will continue impeding the government’s poverty alleviation plans.
Kenya’s animal feeds industry is private sector-led, but there is no clear legislation and institutional framework to guide or regulate it.
Recently, Kirinyaga county set up a small animal feed factory in Kiaga.
The factory has supported many poultry farmers with quality feed for the Wezesha programme implemented by the county government. The programme focuses on the diversification of agricultural activities to increase household incomes.
Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru said the factory will produce poultry, fish and other animal feed.
Mbauni advised farmers to be vigilant and start on-farm feed mixing to get rid of the unscrupulous farm feed manufacturers taking advantage of them.
He said they have trained farmers in Kiambu, Machakos and Kirinyaga on how to use locally available materials to make chicken feed.
The researcher said the project, supported by the Korea Project on International Agriculture (KOPIA), is already posting positive results.
He said the project entails training farmers on the use of locally available resources in making their farm feed.
Edited by A.N
