Benson Mwene: Graduate Succeeding in Poultry Farming Despite Family’s Disapproval

Benson Mwene is a poultry farmer based in Busia County.

Unlike other university graduates, he decided to venture into farming with hopes of making it big just a week before his graduation ceremony.

Despite his mother’s disapproval, Mwene stood his ground and proceeded with his chicken farming venture instead of focusing on securing a white-collar job.

Here is his story as told by WoK.

Mwene graduated from the University of Kabianga with a degree in Information Sciences and Knowledge Management.

A week before his graduation ceremony, he thought of venturing into business after a thoughtful lecture on financial literacy.

With no space and capital, Mwene decided to travel upcountry where he made the final decision on his career trajectory.

He settled on poultry farming after sharing a space with chicken bound for delivery to his home area.

Mwene wondered why people relied on chicken from neighbouring counties while he could meet the demands locally.

Following his graduation ceremony, he was gifted Ksh 15,000 which he used to build a poultry structure and buy modest stock.

However, Mwene faced criticism from people, including his own mother who even invited a pastor to pray for him to find a better job.

People wondered why a university graduate opted for entrepreneurship while he could easily secure a job in the city.

Today, Mwene supplies his products to a local market with hopes of expanding further.

“I started where I was with what I had. I may not be where I want to be yet, but with character and grit, I am on my way to owning and managing a poultry factory farm,” he said.