Women who practice Poultry farming in Kiambu County have received a total of 120,000 one-month-old improved Kienyeji chicks donated by Kiambu County Governor Kimani Wamatangi.
The exercise, which began in Kirenga and Kijabe wards in Lari Sub-County, will be extended across all 12 sub-counties.
Speaking while presiding over the launch of the distribution of the chicks, governor Wamatangi told the farmers that the chicks being given to them are seed capital to kick-start them and that the long-term goal is to have the beneficiaries supply the County Government Early Childhood Education feeding programme.
“Every beneficiary will receive a total of ten chicks, and in three months from today, we will be buying eggs from them for our Early Childhood Education feeding programme where each child will receive an egg and a cup of porridge every day,” said Wamatangi.
Wamatangi added that the programme seeks to enhance economic empowerment through farming and to support farmers in diversifying their agricultural production to improve their living standards.
“800 farmers will today receive chicks in Lari Sub-County. If the chicks are well taken care of and not sold, this will be a big boost to sustainable food and nutrition security in the county,” added Wamatangi.
The county boss further cited that in the coming weeks the County Government will also be distributing piglets, where listed male beneficiaries will receive four piglets each.
“The piglet programme will be targeting our youth to help keep them away from alcoholism and drugs, which have become a menace in our region,” he said.
Elisabeth Wangari, a resident of Kirenga in Lari Sub County and a beneficiary of the one-month-old improved kienyeji, told KNA the programme is going to change her life.
“I’m so excited to be among the people benefiting from this programme I’m sure it is going to change my life since I will have a sustainable income by selling eggs to the county government,” she said.
According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization’s 2019 statistics, Kenya has an estimated 43.8 million chickens, contributing 5.1 per cent of the total livestock value added.
Poultry meat production is at 35,000 tons per year, while egg production is at 1.6 billion pieces per year.
By Grace Naishoo
