Furaha Wanjiru is the founder of Binuru Goat Rearing Farm in Zowerani in Kilifi County.
The agriprenuer keeps over 450 mature Galla goats breed whose body weight is between 45kgs to 70kgs.
Wanjiru settled at the 30-acre settlement scheme farm in 2012 after buying the land.
Here is her story as told by WoK.
Furaha Wanjiru holds a Master of Arts in International Conflict Management from the University of Nairobi.
She kicked off her entrepreneurship journey in 2012 by buying a 30-acre piece of land in Zowerani, some 50 kilometers from Malindi town.
Wanjiru got the land for Ksh 700,000.
“We were a group of friends on an adventure to invest in farming at the Coast region from Nairobi. Our idea was to rent the farms but not buying,” she said.
She set up her farm after visiting farms in Tororo, Uganda and Gichea Farm, Taita Taveta.
“I bench-marked and to avoid the high cost of pen construction, I opted for simple structures that use available materials,” Wanjiru explained.
She bought the first batch of 100 goats in 2010 from Garissa at Ksh 200,000.
However, by 2018, the entrepreneur had lost 93 goats to pneumonia and unscrupulous herders who conspired to sell some goats.
Although she stays in Nairobi, she visits her farm from time to time to check on the welfare of her animals.
“Due to pneumonia, I lost 20 goats and had to call experienced farmers to help solve the problem. I realised that animals from Garissa were prone to diseases and I changed the source of purchase,” Wanjiru said.
Today, she keeps some 450 mature Galla goats.
Wanjiru sells the goats at Ksh 4,500 for a two-month old goat and as much as Ksh 12,000 for a two-year old goat.
She also sells 25 mature female goats for meat and her average monthly sales depend on demand
“I am into the big-bodied goats farming because they are hardy and can survive in arid and semi-arid areas and are profitable,” she said.
The entrepreneur who works as a Customer Service and Contact Centre Manager at Kentrade noted that goats have a good income.
“Notable, they are easily managed even with small space of land compared to cows”, Wanjiru stated.
She spends Ksh 10,000 every three weeks to buy water for her 10,000 litres pan and minimal amounts on drugs as advised by the vet.
In future, Wanjiru plans to manage other peoples goats on an agreement and raise her monthly income to Ksh 500,000.
“For those interested, I plan to manage them for one to two years with all the accounts open and allow them to pick when they start finding the venture is profitable,” she said.
