Forced out of changaa brewing, Siaya mother now sells fish

KISUMU: The unmistakable aroma of deep fried fish hits my nostrils as I arrived at Domtila Nyachonga’s home.

Before me are fresh Nile perch fish of various sizes, washed and neatly arranged in a row to drain water. It’s 11am and Domtila has already travelled to Lake Victoria (to buy the fish) and back - a distance of about 50 kilometres.

Next to the fish is a makeshift frying parlour with fire rumbling under a frying pan half-filled with hot cooking oil. In the pan a golden brown deep fried fish is nearly ready. From all the activities going on in this homestead, its clear the 71-year-old widow has her preparations for Ratado market in high gear.

Thirteen years ago, Domtila’s schedule was quite different as she would either be brewing or serving her customers ‘changaa’ – an illegal alcoholic drink. She perfected her brewing over a 41-year period and her skills were so legendary that her pot never ran dry and attracted numerous customers to her Ralak home in Siaya County.

When her husband passed on in 1989, Domtila thought her world had just crumbled. At 44 and with young children, she felt the weight left behind by her husband sit squarely on her shoulders. But she was already a known seller and brewer of changaa and she embraced this trade fully in a bid to care for her family.

Due to her engagements at the time of my arrival, it becomes apparent that my interview will have to run parallel with her fish frying business. The first question I ask is why she decided to stop brewing and instead chose fish business.

“I grew tired of constant police harassment and huge bribes and fines that came with their impromptu visits,” she says as she adds another dry wood to the three-stone hearth.

She says police officers became hungrier with every sunrise making it very difficult to satisfy their appetite for bribes. It also became apparent that she was toiling for them because they would sometimes take so much from her such that she did not have enough to buy ingredients for her changaa preparation.

“The business became very difficult to run especially with entry of provincial administration members into the bribery fray. An assistant chief would come and ask for money and if you fail to give him he would make sure to bring police the very next minute,” she says.

But that is not the only reason she quit. She says she found the process of preparing the brew too labour intensive. She felt with the passing of time, she would no longer have the energy to carry out such a daunting task.

“I had to look for an alternative source of income that I can do even in my old age since I am a widow without anyone I can depend on for financial support. I chose to sell fish,” she says.

Domtila admits the returns are not always as good as they were with the changaa trade but says the peace of mind she now has is something she values greatly.

“With an annual business permit from the fisheries department which goes for only Sh350, I can go about my business without having to look over my shoulder from time to time,” says Domtila.

She also owns a few shops in Ratado market which she has rented to other business people who pay her rent.