I should have quit police job earlier, says fish farmer

In 2011, Joseph Mutwiri, retired from the police service where he had risen to the rank of chief inspector.

Although he was due for retirement in 2021, he made a decision to quit his job and concentrate on fish farming. At his Gakurine farm in Imenti North, Mutwiri has made a name for himself as a fish farmer. He boasts six fish ponds, up from the two he had in 2007.

With ponds measuring 22 by 16 metres and holding 1,000 tilapia, Mutwiri makes a minimum Sh120,000 in profit annually from each pond, an income complimented by his earnings from his dairy farm.

“Fish farming is not a very engaging venture. There are only two of us to rear the fish, which we feed twice daily at 6.30am and at 6pm. But when it is cold, we feed them around 8am because the fish do not like to come to the surface when it is cold,” he says.

Mutwiri says he has no regret for quitting his job, as he is making good money from catfish and tilapia varieties.

“I dug my first pond in 2007. By 2008, I had added two. By 2011, I had six of them,” he says.

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To cut on production costs, Mutwiri has set up a mill to manufacture feeds for his fish and dairy cows cheaply. Commercial fish feeds are expensive. “I produce my own feeds using maize jam, rice polish from Mwea, sunflower and omena,” he says.

To reap maximum profit from his fish venture, the former police officer says the secret lies in cutting on costs.

“For each pond containing 1,000 tilapia, I introduce 300 catfish when the tilapia are three months old. Catfish feed on tilapia to ensure the pond is not over populated,” he says.

As many farmers are yet to embrace fish farming in the region, Mutwiri has become the main supplier of fish to hotels and institutions, including the Kenya Methodist University (Kemu) located just 200 metres from his farm.

“When I started out, I used to harvest the fish and pitch camp at Makutano town to sell them. I have learnt to market my fish before they reach maturity. It is unwise to harvest the fish without getting orders as they would go to waste if I fail to find buyers,” he says.

He also carries live fish to the market to cater for a particular group of customers who want their fish fresh. One such customer is Jambo Park, a popular joint along the Meru-Nairobi highway.

“I have a pick-up that I fill with water to carry 100 tilapia to Jambo Park. I have to cover it with banana leaves to enable circulation of oxygen. The eatery then transfers the fish to their pond,” he says.

As catfish feeds on tilapia, Mutwiri says he makes a profit of 100 per cent.

The farmer, who is the Secretary of the Aquaculture Association of Kenya (Meru branch), was a beneficiary of the Standards and Market Access Programme (SMAP), a European Union-funded initiative to help fish farmers.

“Before, only fish from the Lake region was allowed into the Eurpean market. But now, they are helping us grow high quality fish devoid of aflatoxins and other impurities. They have taught us best practices, right from growing them in ponds, to harvesting, transportation and packaging,” says Mutwiri.

He harvests both the tilapia and catfish as soon as they attain a weight of 250 grammes and three kilogrammes respectively, normally after one year. Mutwiri is among farmers in Meru County contracted to supply fish to the new Sh54 million Kanyekine Fish Factory from this month.

“My ponds are full but I am holding stock for the factory. It will definitely fetch us more income,” said Mutwiri.

Farming, he has found out, is a lucrative venture.

“It creates opportunities for youth who are graduating,” says the father of two.

And he has advise for the youth: “Do not to cling to your jobs until retirement catches up with you. Take up farming”.