This archive report was first published on 2 November 2021.
With drought affecting 14 counties in the country, including Lamu, a vegetable trader has found an opportunity in the hay business. Charles Njenga, a Lamu County-based trader, has been in the trade for over a decade and a half.
According to Njenga, he saw an opportunity in the hay business after meeting a friend who owns a large herd of cattle. The friend informed him of the hardships he encounters to ensure his cattle do not succumb to hunger pangs. Njenga quickly mooted the idea of investing in the hay business.
He purchases hay from Isinya in Kajiado County and transports it to Lamu, where he sells it to the livestock keepers. Njenga has invested Sh500,000 in the business since August 2021 and has made his fifth trip, transporting 3,000 bales of hay.
He sells hay at Sh400 per bale and has already sold 1,000 bales in the Witu area. The Lamu County government has since partnered with the Food and Agricultural Organisation to provide relief animal feeds to more than 750 livestock keepers locally, covering over 3,000 head of cattle affected by drought and disease.
As part of interventions to beat the effects of drought and hunger, an emergency water trucking programme is also underway in Lamu, targeting hard-hit areas such as Moa, Chalaluma, Mangai, Kiangwe, Basuba, Roka, Belebele, and Koreni.
