Victory Farms, a leading aquaculture firm in the country, has embarked on a Sh2.2 billion project to expand tilapia supply in the country.
The project is being set up at the Doho area in the Kanam A location, Rachuonyo West Sub-county in Homa Bay County.
The facility will enable mass production of tilapia through cage fish farming and fish pond farming.
Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, who presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for the project, commended the company for its efforts to boost fish production and create jobs.
The project encompasses the establishment of a fish feed mill worth Sh1.3 billion and a fish hatchery and pond system worth Sh390 million.
The project also aims to establish a warehouse and export facilities worth Sh390 million.
Victory Farms’ founder, Joseph Rehman, said that the company was relocating its headquarters from Nairobi to Doho at a cost of Sh130 million.
Rehman said the project will include a hatchery, which will produce a large number of fingerlings and enable Kenya to be the leading tilapia producer in the region.
He said the company will still continue with the tilapia production it had started at the Roo area in the Suba South Constituency.
“The fingerling hatchery we are going to establish will enable Kenya and Homa Bay County Government through Victory Farms to be the largest tilapia producer in the region,” Rehman said.
He added that the firm will also provide a market for locally produced farm produce that will be used in the production of fish feeds.
“The fish feed mill will create a stable and dependable market for locally produced crops such as soya and sunflower, among others. This will boost the income of the local farmers,” Rehman said.
Wanga said the project resulted from the deals signed during the investment conference held in the county in February 2024.
She said the project will help in reducing unemployment, adding that the project will provide more than 3000 direct and indirect job opportunities for the locals.
“This project has resulted from the deals we signed during our investment conference two years ago. I have requested the company to give the first priority to locals in employment opportunities,” Wanga said.
The governor emphasized the significance of public-private partnership, which had birthed the project.
She said her administration was ready to partner with investors to promote development in the county.
“My administration has an open-door policy for investors. The county government alone cannot employ all the people; hence, we welcome as many investors as possible in our county,” Wanga said.
The company’s Business Development Manager, Caesar Asiyo, urged residents to own the project and consider it as something that will change their lives.
“We thank the Kanama community for giving us land for this project. Let us own this project to prevent unwarranted wrangles,” Asiyo said.
By Davis Langat
