From COVID-19 Setback to Six-Figure Success: Embu Youth Thrives in Fish Farming

Brian Mugera, a resilient youth from Mbeti North ward in Manyatta, Embu County, has transformed a COVID-19 business failure into a thriving fish farming enterprise, earning him impressive profits. Mugera’s journey began in 2022, after the pandemic devastated his tree nursery business. He turned to aquaculture, a decision that has proven remarkably successful.

Mugera’s success is partly attributed to the Aquaculture Business Development Programme (ABDP), which he joined in 2023. The program provided him with crucial training, including dam liner installation and pond construction techniques. Starting with just 1,000 catfish fingerlings, he overcame initial challenges, such as predation by kingfishers and monitor lizards, by implementing advice from fisheries officers. He invested in cover nets and chain-link fencing, effectively protecting his stock.

Further training on fish grading helped Mugera address cannibalism among his fish. He constructed additional ponds to separate fish of different sizes, optimizing growth and survival rates. His first harvest yielded an impressive 500kg of catfish, generating sales of Ksh 200,000.

This Environment Health graduate, once facing unemployment, is now a self-employed entrepreneur. His fish farm has also created employment opportunities for other local youth. Mugera expressed profound gratitude to the ABDP program, praising its guidance, follow-up support, and material donations. He highlighted the program’s ongoing provision of fingerlings and fish feeds to farmer groups, which he is a part of.

Mugera described fish farming as relatively low-labor intensive, and cited the University of Embu as a significant factor in the area’s economic growth. The university’s cosmopolitan nature has attracted residents from across Kenya, creating a growing market for fish, even though fish consumption is relatively new in Embu.

While celebrating his success, Mugera identified storage as a major challenge. He urged the authorities to operationalize the local fish market’s solar-powered freezer to improve storage capacity and reduce post-harvest losses.

Mugera’s integrated farming approach combines fish farming with the cultivation of cabbages, avocados, sweet potatoes, and other crops, maximizing the use of water resources. He has also received training in hatchery management, enabling him to produce fingerlings for other farmers in the area. His strategic stocking ensures a consistent monthly or bi-monthly harvest, yielding between Ksh 50,000 and Ksh 200,000 per harvest.

Manyatta Fisheries Officer, Samuel Muchangi Kirangu, confirmed the transformative impact of the ABDP program, launched in 2020. The program has supported 1,200 fisher farmers, providing training, dam liners, fish feeds, and fingerlings.

Kirangu emphasized the program’s role in establishing fish farming in Embu County, where it was previously non-existent. He reported that the program is now in its second phase, with a new cohort of farmers receiving similar support.

The ABDP program has clearly revolutionized fish farming in Embu County, creating opportunities for economic growth and employment.