Tony Kiragu went to the United States ten years ago, confident that life in the ‘country of opportunities’ would be as smooth and lovely as he had been led to think.
Kiragu, who migrated to the US on a Green Card in 2008, settled in nicely and was able to get two well-paying job.
The Veterinary Medicine degree holder said he negotiated his way into obtaining a practicing license as a veterinarian without extra training.
Kiragunoted that he always knew he wasn’t in the appropriate location, and three months later, he was already considering returning home.
“I mean by year seven I had settled in very well. I had two vet related jobs and I was earning good money. But for some reason, I was not fulfilled. My heart has always been in Kenya
“Actually, three months after settling in the US, I knew deep in my heart, I would not last long here. Though the money was good, the life was fast, cold and unfulfilling,” he said.
Kiragu struggled to get a job in the veterinary field because most specialist degrees from Kenya are not recognized in the United States, but he never gave up.
“I tried to get a job as a Vet but for a while nothing was coming through because my degree was not really recognised. But I got a breakthrough when I landed a job as a technician in an animal clinic
“The owner of the clinic noticed that I was very good with animals and I had hands on training and skills that were very useful in the clinic. Slowly, I rose through the ranks to the point of practising as a vet but under the proprietor’s licence,” he narrated.
After a seven-year stay, Kiragu decided it was time to terminate his American dream and return to his own country.
When he told his friends and peers about the news, many thought he was crazy.
Many people asked why he would return to Kenya when he had built strong networks and opportunities were opening one after the other.
However, this did not deter him because he had already decided to return to his home country and start a chicken farming business.
Today, Kiragu runs Kuku Nature Farm in Naivasha where he raises Kari Kienyeji chickens.
He is one of the leading chicken suppliers to local farmers and universities in Nakuru County and plans to expand into a larger market in the near future.
The business which is worth Ksh 20 million also offers subsidized training for local farmers on best practices.
“I noticed that hybrid farmers are keen on management issues, but kuku kienyeji farmers are lax because of this mentality that these birds are hardcore and can survive without proper care
“But I am trying to change that mindset and showing farmers how to take good care of this resilient breed for maximum yield,” he shared.
