Can you share some highlights of your career?

In 1980 I joined Kenya’s department of fisheries after graduating from the University of Nairobi. I was posted to Kisumu as a fisheries officer, with fish farming as one of my responsibilities. In 1985 I got a scholarship with FAO-UNDP to study in Nigeria and was then posted to Sagana Aquaculture Centre in Kirinyaga until 1990, when I joined Moi University as a lecturer. I started the department of fisheries with the late Professor Wangila. In 1996 I got a scholarship with CIDA to go and train for a PhD at the Memorial University of Newfoundland. In 2000, I returned to Kenya and continued as a lecturer in Moi University.

In 2007, I left for Kenyatta University and continued teaching fish biology up to around 2011, when I joined the Ministry of Fisheries as a fisheries secretary. After three years, I went back to Kenyatta University, then Karatina University in 2018, before retiring from academia in 2023.

Along the way I have worked with World Bank, a USAID project, and several other international organisations. I also served on the board of directors of the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute for six years, and alongside that, I received an Elder of the Burning Spear (EBS) award from President Mwai Kibaki in 2012 for my outstanding and distinguished services to the nation.

I started my own fish farm in 2009, which I wanted to serve as a demonstration centre for farmers to learn how to grow fish.

What inspired you to venture into fish farming?

I’ve always loved working with fish farmers, fisheries extension offcier and fishermen and enjoy seeing them grow their own fish and improve their incomes.

How many ponds and tanks do you have on your farm?

I have 27 ponds and 10 concrete tanks, as well as a tilapia and catfish hatchery.

What is your production capacity?

The capacity we have is 100,000 fingerlings per month. But we usually operate at 10,000-15,000 per month, in line with market demand. We produce 60 percent catfish and 40 percent tilapia. There’s a higher demand for catfish because breeding them is more technically challenging, while tilapia will naturally reproduce in farmers’ ponds.

What innovations have you adopted on the farm?

The main one is trying to lower the cost of feeds, so that farmers can spend less on feeds and increase their productivity, so we train farmers on alternative ways of producing feeds. Alternatives to formulated feeds include applying fertiliser to the water to make it green – that green is food for tilapia, so formulated feed can become a supplement instead of being the main food source. Wheat bran, rice bran, maize bran, or other low cost feeds can further lower the cost of production. 

We also do selective breeding, trying to enhance the growth of fish. We also do propagation of catfish – externally fertilising the eggs  using the milt from the males. We also practise monosex culture of male tilapia, using methyltestosterone (MT), because males grow faster.

How many employees do you have in the farm?

A manager and two technical staff.

What are the main milestones that you have achieved on the farm?

We have trained more than 1,000 farmers and we follow up with farmers who buy fingerlings from us to check on fish growth performance and provide on-farm training. We also mentor students.

What are the main challenges that you still need to overcome?

Getting well trained staff is a challenge. Number two is demand: we have the potential, but we can’t fulfil it until demand increases. Number three is the interminent power supply, which has been a major issue. We are shifting to green energy and have transferred some activities to solar; like pumping water from our boreholes and the security lights, but the power supply for most of the equipment that we use in the farm is still from the national grid. We also have challenges with the cost of research into tilapia genetics to help improve on seed quality. 

What are the main markets for your fingerlings?

We mianly serve the eastern and central regions of Kenya, such as Embu, Meru, Tharaka Nithi, Nyeri , Kirinyaga, Murang’a, Machakos, Narok and Kajiado counties. We even have farmers from far counties such as Mombasa. 

Where do you source inputs like feed and equipment?

We get feed from Nairobi or local agents. For equipment, we have local and international arrangements and are in contact with  companies in Asia, Europe or USA. 

What advice would you give to those who are intending to venture into aquaculture?

Let them first understand the basics of aquaculture before starting the practice: they need to understand that it is possible but also complex. They also need to understand that aquaculture is multidisciplinary, because it includes skills in chemistry, biology, feed technology, nutrition, finance, marketing, soil science and hydrologic engineering.

How would you like to see your farm evolving?

I would like to adopt cutting-edge aquaculture technologies – such as cages and raceways – and help train extension officers and fish farmers to do the same. If we can have more farmers adopting technology, the more we increase production, because we are not producing enough fish for the country at the moment. 

What are the prospects of the wider aquaculture sector in Kenya?

Currently, Kenya is producing slightly below 200,000 tonnes of fish per year. Our Vision 2030 outlines that our individual consumption should be 10 kg per capita per annum, but we are presently at only around 4.5 kg. If we work on that average, then the demand for fish in this country stands at between 500,000 and 600,000 tonnes. There will be no increase coming from wild catch, in Lake Victoria the fisheries are on the decline, but aquaculture has the potential to fill the gap.