Retired soldier thrives in avocado farming

Gideon Gitonga at his farm where he has planted hundreds of avocado fruit trees.

Some 10 kilometers south of Meru town in Imenti Central is Mugambone Farm owned by Gideon Gitonga, a retired major from the Kenya Defence Forces. The two-acre farm that lies near the equator is an orchard where Gitonga has over 250 avocado trees of the Hass and Fuertes varieties.

On arrival, the retired army major is inspecting the plantation with the perfectionism likened to the military. “These trees mean money to me and I cannot compare them to any venture,” he says.