Lawrence Munyua is a retired teacher and lives in Ndenderu, Kiambu County.
“I retired in 1994 and got a lump sum of Sh90,000 with a monthly pension of Sh2,500. I was aware of the risk of becoming poor if I didn’t make a good investment. I only had a quarter acre piece of land and was not sure I could use it to generate an income because I felt it was too small.”
He adds, “I decided to settle on the business, a journey I commenced by buying two cows in 1982. I bought them at Sh2, 000 and built them a shed worth Sh1,500. By 1994, I already had a herd of 60 grade cows but owing to cost of managing them, I settled for a lesser number. Today, I manage a maximum herd of 40 dairy cows which I find to be the optimal number that I can easily and profitably handle.”
Due to the uniqueness of his farm, has become known for, he receives farmers’ delegations from across the country where he teaches them on animal husbandry.
During my visit, I encountered Munyua in a session with over 500 visiting.
Although his peers use the traditional hand-milking method, Munyua uses an electric milking machine. He says this makes his work very efficient and easy to undertake hence employs less labour.
Munyua has three permanent employees and three casuals. He is only monitoring the operations. And also spare him enough time to lecture visiting farmers on skills and ways of improving their activities.