Michael Kariuki Murigi is an account by profession but engages in mixed farming as a side hustle.
He ventured into farming over a decade ago with a Ksh 300,000 capital which he used to set up a pig farm.
Years down the line, Murigi has made massive progress in his trade that earns him over Ksh 120,000 per month.
Here is his story as told by WoK.
Murigi ventured into farming in 2012.
Armed with Ksh 300,000 capital, he built pig houses and purchased two female pigs to kick off the venture.
Murigi put up the development in a piece of land in Thindigua, Kiambu County that he bought using savings from his consultancy job.
“I bought a quarter of land at Ksh 10 million obtained from my savings in my consultancy job; my initial plan was to build my home but opted for farming instead. This is a decision I do not regret,” he said.
After realizing the potential that dairy farming had, he sold all the pigs that he kept and bought four heifers, two Friesian cows and two Ayrshire cows.
The cows multiplied to 18 thanks to artificial insemination.
Other than salt lick supplements and homemade dairy meal, Murigi also feeds his cows Boma Rhodes and sweet potato vines which he sources from his farm.
He explained that he opted for homemade meals since commercial feeds were not good quality and thus affecting the health of his cows.
Murigi produces 57-60 liters per day which he sells at Ksh 70 per liter, translating to Ksh 119,700 to Ksh 126,000 per month.
The story of Georgina Chepkoech
As earlier reported on WoK, Georgina Chepkoech, a farmer from Gina in Nakuru County resigned from a well-paying job to fully concentrate on dairy farming.
She is a graduate of Egerton University having studied a course in Animal Health and Production.
Although she ventured into farming immediately after graduating from university, she also landed a job that earned her Ksh 50,000 per month.
However, Georgina was not content with her full-time job and in 2016, she decided to call it quits and focus on farming.
“I was employed but the decision to venture into commercial farming came in 2016 when I resigned to concentrate on intensive farming. I’m passionate about animal keeping,” she said.
To start off, Georgina bought one dairy cow, a Friesian, at Ksh 180,000 and three calves at the same price which later matured and started producing milk.
Each cow produces at least 20 litres of milk which she sells to her neighbors and supply some to hotels within Nakuru town.
Georgina also owns a milk ATM which she uses to sell milk to people within her locality.
“In a day, I make more than Ksh 8,000. If I deduct the cost of water, labour and feeds, I get a profit of more than Ksh 4,000,” she said.
She makes at least Ksh 150,000 per month.
