This archive report was first published on 20 July 2019.
Located in Vihiga County, Moi Girls High School is a hub of agricultural activities, with a horticulture farm and various livestock, including dairy cows, poultry, goats, and sheep.
The school's dairy unit is home to nine dairy cows, comprising five Ayrshire and four Jersey cattle. Assistant farm manager Morris Chae oversees the daily milking process, which yields at least 72 litres of milk daily.
Of the collected milk, 64 litres is consumed by the school, while the remaining 8 litres is sold to the local community at Sh60 per litre. The cows are fed napier grass harvested from the school's farm, supplemented with dairy meal during milking.
The school employs 12 workers to manage the dairy unit, poultry, and horticulture farm, ensuring the animals are well-fed and the barns are clean. The poultry house hosts 185 layers, producing about six trays of eggs daily, sold to residents and staff at Sh33o per tray.
The school's farm also grows a variety of vegetables, including managu, cow peas, saget, sukuma wiki, and cabbages, using 2.5 acres of land. Farm manager Francis Omusanga notes that 90 per cent of the vegetables are used to feed the 1,298 students, with the remaining 10 per cent sold to locals at Sh50 per kilo.
Principal Rose Serde highlights the farm's profitability, stating that it offers good income to the school and is treated as a separate entity for effective management. The school is using the farm's income to build a dormitory and support needy students.
However, the school recently lost a cow to black quarter disease, a bacterial infection caused by Cloastridium. Maseno University's Department of Agriculture Head, Prof Matthew Dida, notes that early cases of black quarter may respond to treatment with large doses of penicillin and specific antiserum.
