Peter Maundu: Kitui Farmer Rearing Over 2,000 Tortoises, Exports To The US, China And Germany

Peter Maundu is a farmer from Kitui County who rears tortoise for sale.

The 71-year-old farmer rears 2,000 tortoises, which he sells abroad, in his farm in Kitui East Constituency, Kitui County.

Maundu ventured into tortoise rearing after his efforts to engage in other activities such as crop farming bore no fruits.

Here is his story as told by WoK.

Background

The farmer ventured into tortoise rearing in 2005 after several failed attempts to cultivate crops.

In an interview on KU TV, Maundu said he started with 25 tortoises.

“The land is dry and there is no enough vegetation although I get food from my farm which borders a river,” he said.

As of 2019, 14 years since he started, Maundu was keeping over 2,000 tortoises in his farms in Kitui and Makueni Counties.

He keeps three species of tortoises namely hinge-back, pancake and the leopard.

Maundu exports the tortoises to reptile-eating countries such as the United States, China and Germany.

Challenges

As a businessman exporting his produce to international countries, Maundu cited currency fluctuations as his main challenge.

He also mentioned untrustworthy clients, especially those who delay payments as his other challenge.

“Some times the market is also a challenge because I don’t deal with direct clients, I have to go through agents,” he said.