Kakamega fish factory to export fish products to EU markets

The Kakamega fish processing factor is set to begin exporting fish to the European Union market after it was certified to meet the international standards of the bloc.

The factory was commissioned in June 2021 by former Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya to process fish from across the counties in the Lake Region Economic Bloc.

The company received certification as a centre for fish aggression, warehousing and international fish exports in accordance with European Union Standards by the Aquaculture Business Development Programme.

ADBP fisheries officer Susan Odinga and International Fund for Agriculture and Development led by county programme co-ordinator Norman Munala delivered the certification during a tour at the Lutonyi-based factory in Lurambi subcounty on July 25.

ABDP and IFAD also rated the company as one of the best fish factories in Kenya in terms of compliance and it has met all the standards locally and internationally.

Samuel Ondiek, the CEO of the DAS Group that is running the factory, is now set to export fish products to at least 27 EU countries. The products include dried smoked, fresh, frozen, teaks and fish fillets, among others.

He said the factory has the capacity to process and export 20 tonnes of fish per day with the annual demand for fish being projected to be 7,000 tonnes.

“Two weeks ago we were in the final stages of acquiring legal documents including licenses and compliance certificates and as we speak we have met all the requirements,” Ondiek said.

He said the county is expected to rake in Sh539 million annually from this initiative. 

“We have the capacity to process and export fish to meet the export market demands. We are investing in technology and proper infrastructure. We already have ready market for our products in Italy, UK and Netherlands amounting to 10 tonnes weekly,” the CEO said. 

He said that the company is engaging Naivas supermarkets, which are willing to buy another 10 tonnes weekly to bolster its local market.

He said that they are already setting up their outlet base in Gikomba in Nairobi to facilitate their business in the city and outside the country.

According to Ondiek, some 6,976 farmers from Kakamega country are projected to benefit from the venture. 

There are about 9,988 fish ponds in the county with the potential to produce more than 1,798 tonnes of fish in seven months.

The DAS Group and Kakamega county signed a memorandum of understanding where the firm was to run the factory. 

The group took over the possession of the premises after the county signed a lease agreement on November 3 last year.

According to Ondiek, the group is renting the plant at Sh100, 000 monthly.

The factory is one of the four facilities that were constructed under the Economic Stimulus Programme between 2008 and 2012 during the reign of President Mwai Kibaki. Others are Meru, Nyeri, and Migori fish processing plants.

It has not been operational for the last two years.

It resumed operations last week after two years closure due to wrangles among the group directors on the running and management of the factory.

Ondieki said they resolved wrangles among the directors and the company is now working smoothly.

 “We had some problems with shares and running of the facility where some of the board directors wanted to exit and they eventually exited and things are now in order. We are already engaging small and large-scale farmers for fish and other materials necessary for the operation of the factory,” he said.

However, the CEO accused the ABDP of not helping fish farmers and value chain actors in terms of production and market.

“ABDP has a lot of money but they are not helping farmers with better farming methods and to increase their production, giving farmers fingerlings and pond liners is not enough without securing a ready market.

“We want ABDP to support the ecosystem by ensuring the cost of production is low and make an investment for fish farming resilient and sustainable by partnering with fish manufacturing companies,” he said. 

Kakamega Deputy Governor Ayub Savula said the government is keen on empowering fish farmers by providing them with subsidise feeds in order to make fish farming attractive and a viable avenue for diversification to avoid over reliance on a single crop.

“We had issues with directors but it has since been solved and the governor is expected to re-launch the factory anytime but we are facilitating small fish ponds across our 60 wards and the cost is under the county government," he said. 

“We are going to give farmers fish feeds for free, they will not incur any cost, we are going to make the fish farming viable in collaboration with our partners, we have factored the money in our budget to mobilise farmers from cooperatives and aggregation centre for fresh fish for a ready market.”