This archive report was first published on 9 May 2020.
On a 1.5-acre plot in Kisumu, Enos Odongo has set up a thriving fish farm, which he started in November last year.
Odongo, a building contractor, invested Sh100,000 in the venture, which includes three concrete ponds measuring 6m by 6m, 4m by 4m, and 6m by 4m, with a depth of 2m each.
He initially stocked the ponds with 3,000 tilapia fingerlings, but kingfisher birds feasted on them, prompting him to introduce catfish and later add two more ponds, one of which now contains tilapia.
Today, Odongo has 4,000 tilapia and 7,000 catfish, and has installed nets above the ponds to keep the birds at bay.
He spends Sh20,000 every month to cater for the fish, with most of the money going to buying feeds, which are costly.
Odongo already has a market in Kisumu and Nairobi, but the containment measures announced to curb the spread of Covid-19 have prompted him to delay harvesting.
He plans to sell the fish for between Sh250 and Sh400 depending on the size.
Odongo's biggest challenges are the high costs of running the business and a shortage of commercial fish feeds in Kisumu.
“Fishing is a side hustle for me. My two sons in their 20s help me run the farm because most of the time I am away attending to my construction business,” he says.
According to Safina Musa, a researcher at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute in Kisumu, it is essential for a farmer to know the demand and market before venturing into fish farming.
“Both tilapia and catfish are good, but the market demand will dictate the kind of fish one should keep. In places like the central region, people prefer catfish because of its fleshy nature while people in Nyanza region prefer tilapia,” she notes.
Odongo's story is a testament to the potential of fish farming as a side hustle, and the importance of understanding the market demand before venturing into the business.
