David Ruhiu showcases products he makes from fish and (inset) his wife, Muthoni Njogu in their farm in Nyandarua County. The venture has taken him places locally and internationally, and he has won trophies and certificates that decorate his processing room, office and house. PHOTOS | WAIKWA MAINA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
The farmer recalls he spent some Sh170,000 on making his first pond, with the money going to construction and buying fingerings from the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI).
In 2015, he started adding value to fish by making sausage, fillets and fish balls after attending training on agribusiness at KMFRI. But due to lack of specialised equipment, he faced many challenges.
Three of the trophies are from the Food and Agriculture Organization and two from the Nyandarua County government for his contribution to food security, among other reputable local and international organisations.
Though the local community has now embraced fish, his main customers are big hotels like Panari in Nairobi and others in major towns.
David Ruhiu has been keeping fish in Kiriita village, Nyandarua County, for the past 15 years, a business he started when he stocked 5,000 fingerlings in a 20-by -5 metre fish pond at his home.
Earnings from the pond eight months later enticed him to invest more in aquaculture, abandoning dairy and horticulture. He then had eight cows that he sold to invest in aquaculture.
