Kakamega environment, water, natural resources and climate change executive Peninah Mukabane, her agriculture, irrigation and cooperatives counterpart Mophat Mandela and Butere subcounty administrator Hillary Angoche during the ground-breaking of Butere hatchery expansion on Tuesday/IMAGE /HILTON OTENYO
The Kakamega government has begun the expansion and rehabilitation of the Butere Hatchery to boost poultry production.
The upgrade of the project at Eshirembe in Marama Central is expected to increase the facility's production capacity from the current 12,000 to 100,000 chicks per month.
This will involve the construction of a modern bird house, a perimeter wall and the solarisation of the facility to enhance efficiency and sustainability. The works are expected to be completed within six months.
Water, environment, natural resources and climate change executive Peninah Mukabane said the project is being financed under the World Bank-funded Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) Programme.
She spoke during the launch of the expansion works on Tuesday.
Mukabane said the contractor will provide job opportunities for youth, women and vulnerable groups to ensure the project delivers direct socioeconomic benefits to the community.
Her Agriculture counterpart, Mophat Mandela, noted the expansion will not only create employment opportunities but also strengthen poultry farming by ensuring a steady supply of quality chicks to farmers across all 12 subcounties.
"The county government is committed to transforming the facility into a full-fledged chick production factory capable of meeting the growing demand for poultry farming in the county and beyond," he said.
Mandela said the expansion was necessitated by the rising demand for chicks and challenges in accessing quality fertilised eggs.
He said the 2,000-bird house will accommodate layers to address the challenges the county has been facing in accessing eggs and to avoid disruptions.
"The county imports more than 60,000 chicks every three weeks from as far as Uganda. The project seeks to ease access to eggs and chicks at a more affordable cost than what our farmers are being charged today," Mandela said.
"By increasing the hatchery's production capacity, we are laying a strong foundation for economic empowerment, food security and wealth creation for poultry farmers across Kakamega county," he added.
Mandela said his department is already supporting a chicken slaughterhouse in Lugari to improve the poultry value chain.
"Our ultimate goal is to begin packaging traditional chicken, for which demand already exists, to support household economies. This will help the county achieve aggregation and secure better market prices," he said.
"We remain focused on delivering impactful development projects that directly benefit our communities, especially our youth, women and vulnerable groups."
Agriculture chief officer Emmanuel Kariuki urged residents to safeguard the project by remaining vigilant and promptly reporting any cases of vandalism to the relevant authorities.
