Laikipia teacher takes up poultry farming to keep his pupils in school

Chris Saidimu’s passion is to uplift the needy and improve the quality of their lives.

A teacher at Somutwo Primary School in Laikipia West, Laikipia County, he is the founder of Arid Poultry Farm, a project he started to help his pupils and his community.

“When I joined the school in 2018, fresh from university, I was excited to start growing my career and make my mark,” he recalls.

“But I was met by a saddening reality about the children’s school life. They carried firewood to school, and some of them could not even afford basic stationery.”

Having grown up in a small village in Wamba, Samburu County, and going through similar challenges, Chris saw his own early life reflected in that of his pupils. He felt the desire to break the cycle and make their lives easier and better.

“Using my own money, I started with buying stationery for the few pupils I had identified. But what I had not anticipated was the high number of students who were in need. The number kept increasing, and I only managed to provide for them for two terms.”

Overwhelmed by the number of pupils approaching him and having a difficult time picking whom to help, Chris went back to the drawing board. He knew he had to come up with a project that was self-sustaining and that could cover a lot more children.

“I thought of many projects to undertake, from farming to dairy, but this being a semi-arid area, none of those endeavours were viable.

“I needed a project that was not weather-dependent and one that did not need a lot of resources to establish, and that is how I ended up settling on poultry.”

Chris approached the school headteacher with his idea, and he was given the go-ahead. The school provided one acre of land for his project.

“I must admit at this point the knowledge I had about poultry was wanting. Apart from about 10 free-range chickens we reared at our home when I was growing up, I had no other experience with the birds.”

He did not let this hinder his passion, though, and he took to the internet to gain the much needed knowledge, from designing houses for the birds and feeding them to routine care in general.

“So with all the savings I had, a few loans and assistance from a few friends, I started Arid Poultry Farm in 2019. I hired labourers to set up the houses, bought feeds and feeding and watering troughs, and with empowering the community in mind, I bought 200 chickens from villagers.”

Rushed into the project impulsively

A few months into the project, there was a viral outbreak in the area, and Chris found himself facing an unexpected predicament.

“I had rushed into the project impulsively out of passion,” he notes introspectively. “I did not know chickens needed to be vaccinated, or even the existence of the vaccines. The outbreak hit us hard, and only five chickens survived out of the original 200.”

Devastated and counting losses, Chris says he wanted to give up. He still had loans he was servicing and the future was looking grim for him.

But his desire to transform the lives of his students kept him going. After some proper research and consultations, he decided to give it a second try, but this time he could only afford 70 chickens, sourced from the community, like before.

“I was a few shillings short but all the wiser for it. This time I was not taking chances, and I developed a strict timetable on medication and care. My efforts paid off soon enough, and the number grew to 350. We then started selling eggs while still increasing the (chickens) to 1,500.”

He notes he still faced other challenges like an increase in the cost of feeds, especially during the Covid-19 period, forcing him to supplement them with other products like maize.

Through the sale of eggs and chickens for meat, Chris was able to buy an incubator and started hatching chicks both for the farm and for sale. He also realised his dream of keeping needy children in school, sometimes sponsoring exams for class Seven and Eight.

“The proceeds also made possible one of the biggest dreams I had –to drill a borehole for the school and end the water problem we were facing.”

Besides the immediate help the project provides for the students, Chris notes it has morphed into a learning centre as well, in line with the current mode of education. Not only students from Somutwo benefit but also those of neighbouring schools, and the community as well.

Refresh and have fun

“They get to acquire entrepreneurial skills, and the proudest moments for me are when a student approaches me asking me to buy a chicken or eggs from them so that they can provide for themselves.”

He adds that he wanted parents, many of whom work on a neighbouring flower farm, to adopt the idea of self-employment and reduce dependency on employment.

“We also organise educational trips for the students, most of whom have never set foot outside this locality. When they travel and go to places like Thompson Falls in Nyahururu, they not only get to learn but also refresh and have fun, which is very important in their development.”

“When a kindness is done to you, you will be morally inclined to reciprocate that kindness.

“When I met my godmother, Rudy Dundus, when I was still a boy, she adopted me as her godson and has been one of my biggest supporters in life.

“She was a photographer for the Samburu Project, a group that has supported me, even in my current endeavours.”

Chris says this is what he hopes to achieve – to help a generation of youngsters who will bring change and uplift the lives of the less fortunate in society.

“If today I left this school, I would leave something remarkable behind, and something that can last for a long time with proper management.

“I encourage other schools to adopt this idea and make it their own, which goes a long way in reducing dependency and supplementing government funding.”

The farm keeps other birds besides chickens, such as guinea fowls, ducks and ornamental birds like peacocks and various pigeon breeds. Chris says this expands the minds of his pupils about what bird rearing entails, as the opportunities are diverse.

“Many people think giving back requires millions, but no act of kindness is too small to make an impact,” he submits.