Meet Bryson Amyunzu, a 27-year-old man from Chaik Ward in Belgut, Kericho County, who has chosen poultry farming as away of making use of the support he received through the government’s NYOTA programme.
Amyunzu says he is grateful for the opportunity and rather than seeing the money is something to spend quickly, he decided to put it into poultry, a venture he believes can provide him with food as well as income.
He keeps kienyeji chickens and says the training he received through NYOTA, helped him understand how to care for them better. In particular, he learnt about the feeds he could give the chickens, he says the keeping tips and care has helped the birds increase.
For Amyunzu, the progress has been gradual and he is currently working towards having 50 chickens, with the second amount he received from NYOTA expected to help him improve the structure in which he keeps them.
Some of the chickens have already brought him his first returns. Amyunzu says he has sold 15 chickens at 1,000 shillings each, giving him 15,000 shillings. It is a modest beginning, but one that has encouraged him to continue with the project.
A few kilometres away, another beneficiary is taking a similar path. Faith Cherono, from Chebaon in Chaik Ward, also received support from NYOTA and decided to invest in poultry farming.
The 27-year-old lady received 22,000 shillings in her first disbursement, which she used to buy chicks. She started with 50 chicks, all intended to become layers. The birds took about six months before they started producing, meaning the return on her investment did not come immediately.
Even after production began, Cherono says she had to wait another two to three months before she started making a profit. Now, with the project approaching 11 months, she has continued to add to what she started.
The second amount she received from NYOTA allowed her to add another 100 chicks. Cherono says the project has taught her that poultry farming requires patience, particularly when starting with a small number of birds.
Cherono and Amyunzu are among 2,393 young people receiving start-up capital in Kericho County with beneficiaries receiving a cumulative Sh108.8 million in two tranches.
For now, Amyunzu is simply looking to keep improving his poultry project, while Faith has set herself a target of 1,000 chickens. She hopes that profits will help her purchase more birds and build a better chicken structure.
Amyunzu and Cherono have also joined a group of fellow beneficiaries who are benefiting from an incubator provided by the Principal Secretary (PS), Dr. Paul Kiprono, to give the members an opportunity to hatch more chicks collectively, helping them increase their poultry stock, while sharing the benefits of the equipment.
By Humphrey Edwin and Fidel Ochieng
