How Covid triggered my fish venture
Pastor Kariuki at his fish farm. He sells ornamental fish from as low as Sh50 to a high of Sh2,000. Tilapia sells for Sh150 to Sh200, depending on size.
Just three kilometres from Sagana town is Njuki-ini Fish Farm.
The farm has 10 ponds, five of which have ornamental fish, three have catfish and the remaining two have tilapia.
The farm belongs to Pastor Charles Kariuki. He ventured into fish farming when the coronavirus hit Kenya in 2020.
The closing of churches by the state to stem the spread of the virus compelled Pastor Kariuki to venture into fish farming.
‘Little space’
“While thinking of something to do, I remembered the skills I acquired at Sagana Fisheries from 1997 to 2000,” the pastor says.
“Such a project requires little space, is environmentally friendly and will thrive even with global warming challenges.”
Equipped with the know-how and skills, Pastor Kariuki took Sh50,000 from his savings and built a pond which he stocked with 500 catfish fingerlings.
Pastor Kariuki at his fish farm. He sells ornamental fish from as low as Sh50 to a high of Sh2,000. Tilapia sells for Sh150 to Sh200, depending on size.
To make money and expand the venture, Kariuki took to online marketing.
As he sold catfish, customers kept inquiring about ornamental fish.
That prompted Pastor Kariuki to build another pond and try his luck.
Ornamental fish
He reserved half of his two-acre farm for the production of fish.
“When in business, you do research to establish what people need most. With promising returns from ornamental fish, I built another pond. The rest, as they say, is history,” he says.
The farm employs two people. There are five types of ornamental fish at the farm, including goldfish and coy carp.
The ponds are of different dimensions, with some measuring 10x10 metres and 6x12 metres., The largest is 20x12 metres.
Pastor Kariuki at his fish farm. He sells ornamental fish from as low as Sh50 to a high of Sh2,000. Tilapia sells for Sh150 to Sh200, depending on size.
The number in a pond depends on the size of the fish and the water volume. A pond has 1,000 to 5,000 fish. Kariuki, who has a licence from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock, has a hatchery.
A catfish and tilapia fingerling goes for Sh10 but the price of a mature fish depends on size.
Tilapia prices range from Sh150 to Sh200.
One ornamental fish sells for Sh50 to Sh2,000.
Pastor Kariuki, who has customers in several counties, says the market for ornamental fish is growing by the day.
To produce such fish, one needs to maintain high standards of pond hygiene.
Predation is the biggest challenge Njuki-ini Fish Farm faces. To address the problem, the pastor bought and installed nets around and above the ponds.
The cost of feeds is high though Kariuki learnt to formulate his from cotton cake and wheat bran.
