The Chamwada Report this weeks focused on a common agri-business venture that has grown in leaps and bounds, enriching folks who do it the right way.

Still on our continued series on animals, Elijah Mwangi visited two poultry farms in Ongata Rongai to understand why poultry farming has become such a money-minting business.

The journey started at Kandisi, where we meet Margaret Wambua. She is an established poultry farmer who quit her formal employment to venture into the business.

And she is not regretting, at least, she admits. And Margaret has been in this business for four years now. So what does it take to successfully run this business?

Poultry industry in Kenya is not at its peak yet.

Experts say there are programs that have been put in place to steer the industry to its required standards and by extension compete leading countries like China, the United States and even South Africa, which is the continental giant in poultry farming.

Also on The Chamwada Report:

• Why 40,000 people attended this years Food Festival
• How to treat a dog, man's best friend
• How Makueni County is leading in war against rabies

Statistics indicate that China leads the world in poultry farming, rearing about 3 billion chicken, followed by 1.9 billion in the United States.

Dr Victor Yamo, World Animal Protection Manager in charge of animals and farming says for passionate farmers like Margaret Wambua to get it right, things must change.

"The industry has not put together its standards but there is a collaboration to develop industry standards," he says.

“My assessment is that we are not very far from the rest of the globe… we are almost where the industry is supposed to be."

Data from the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries indicate that Kenya has a bird population over 31 million. Of these, 75% are indigenous chicken, 22% broilers and layers while the remaining 1% represent the breeding stock.

And the chicken, like other animals, must be taken care of well.

On the show tonight, Margaret Wambua tells of how she manages to vaccinate, feed and wash her chicken to improve their health and maximize their productivity.

Also on the show, we feature another poultry farmer, Caroline Ndungu still in Rongai.

She tells us of her journey in the business which started with only 300 birds but has expanded to about 6000.

The show answers your questions on feeds,feed prices, vaccination, right market and diseases engulfing poultry farming.

Since October 2013, the Delicious International Food and Music Festival has become a popular and calendar favorite event where people from different parts of the African continent gather to share their different culinary skills and to feel the taste of each country, literally.

The event also offers great opportunities to celebrated African entertainment gurus to showcase their music and share with other artists across the continent. Signature dishes are exhibited at various pop-up restaurants and this year's edition was held at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in Gauteng Province.

South Africa has hosted the event since its inception five years ago and in September this year, the mega event attracted about 40,000 people who thronged the venue to share their passion.

Chams Media team was in Johannesburg to feel the experience and find out why this event is revered so much so that people would spend more Sh.7000 for one ticket.

The main ingredients for the Delicious international food and music festival include local artists on the main stage, international and local chefs featured in the various pop-up restaurants and cooking theatres, channel and brand activation.

This week's The Chamwada Report show pitches camp in Johannesburg to finds out why this event is so important, why so many people attended it and the possibility of hosting it in Kenya in 2019.

Liz Ogumbo, a Kenyan-born songwriter in South Africa says the event is worth attending by artists hoping to interact and share valuable ideas it others across Africa.

"I really encourage those who are able to come, especially Africans, unless you cannot afford it but if you can, expose yourself and experience the world," she said.

It is almost everyone’s pet today. Everyone has a reason for keeping it in their homes; for security purposes, for companionship, to keep us active and healthy among many other reasons.

A dog has been considered a man’s best friend. However, there comes many rules and regulations that one ought to know and follow when handling a dog.

This week, Chams Media team under the Chamwada Report program focused on the story of ‘Better Lives for dogs’.

Keeping in mind that Kawangware is a location known to have many roaming dogs, Chams Media team used this area as their case study. The question was, how should dogs be handled and why is it important to know of this?

Residents of Kawangware had mixed reactions on the roaming dogs in their area. Some claimed the dogs are their saviours when it comes to being attacked by thieves whereas others, on the other hand, believed they are a menace to the community.

In the neighbouring Dagoretti area, there exist many dogs as well. Here, the dog population is higher since they have access to leftovers from the slaughterhouses.

Peter Kyalo is a dog owner who believes he takes care of his dogs despite them always roaming around. Unlike Kyalo who keeps dogs for security purposes, Abraham Otieno, a garage operator at Kawangware, keeps dogs for company. He is aware, however, that these pets should be vaccinated monthly.

The Kenya Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (KSPCA) is a charity organization that works on upholding the welfare of animals. Dr. Diana Onyango, the Executive Officer of KSPCA, claims most of these dogs usually end up on the streets thanks to irresponsible ownership.

“If people became responsible animal owners, we would not have so many stray animals,” she said.

What everyone ought to understand is that there exists a dreaded risk that comes with irresponsible dog handling. This is contracting rabies; the viral disease that attacks the brain. Rabies is not curable and thus kills within a maximum number of ten days.

Dr. Matthew Muturi, from the Zoonotic Disease Unit, says, “Approximately 2000 people in Kenya die of rabies each year.”

Tennyson Williams, the Director of the Africa Office of the World Animal Protection, is among many experts who claim that better lives for dogs would result in dogs living peacefully with humans. Just like any other person, a dog has various rights and freedoms that ought to be upheld.

A dog must be vaccinated once every year against rabies and other diseases to ensure it lives peacefully with humans. If one is to keep a dog, it is advisable to get one from a professional breeder. One ought to be worried when he is around a dog that behaves abnormally or unusually.

This way, rabies bites can be avoided. A dog is a pet everyone ought to have; however to keep it, one needs to always adhere to the rules.

Better lives for dogs part two- How Makueni County treats its dogs

Following the Chamwada Report program on better Lives for Dogs a week ago, we received good feedback from our viewers who now understand the importance of dog vaccination. Most persons were not aware that dogs ought to be vaccinated.

Others could not believe that dogs ought to be licensed. By the end of the day, it was obvious that the show was quite educative.

As the world marked ‘The World Rabies Day’ on the 28^th of September, Chams Media followed up on dog ownership in Makueni County and how awareness on the importance of responsible dog ownership is being made in this area.

Makueni County is known for many good deeds and has now been confirmed as the leading county in creating awareness of dog vaccination.

While we pitched camp in Makueni however, we met up with Priscilla Mutindi, a victim of a dog bite. She explained that she got attacked while at a neighbour’s place, where out of nowhere, a dog jumped on her, took out her flesh and fed on it. She was quite lucky that this specific dog had been vaccinated.

Bretta Mutisya, the Health Promotion Officer explains that it is important for each household with a dog to ensure it is vaccinated and if it ever bites a person, they should rush him to hospital after washing the wound for 15 minutes. A dog should not be killed after an attack so as to monitor whether it indeed has rabies.

There exist around 120,000 dogs in Makueni County. Dr. Martin Mboloi, C.O Livestock, and Fisheries Development explains that Makueni is a pilot county where a project on rabies elimination is being done. Last year, Makueni recorded a total of 749 dog bites and through that, they managed to know which household owned rabid dogs.

Joseph Mutui is a village elder in Miseke village, Makueni County and a responsible dog owner who has taken the initiative to teach others on the importance of responsible dog ownership. He says that veterinary officers are common in their village and they educate on dog vaccination and how to avoid rabies attacks. Joseph is aware that his dogs have rights that ought to be upheld.

This year’s theme for the World Rabies Day is “Share the message and save a life.” If people create awareness on the importance of responsible dog keeping, then the world will be a better place.

The message is short and clear, ‘Dog bites can kill. One needs to vaccinate his dog and ensure all other dogs around him are equally vaccinated.”

Lavender Amunga contributed to this report. You can reach her via lavenderamunga@gmail.com

MAKUENI COUNTY-Priscillah Mutindi walks into Makueni County Referral Hospital reeling in pain. Her face tells it all, the agony of pain from an open wound on her right foot is evident. At 82, seeking treatment at a hospital due to a dog bite is the last thing she expected. But it happened. Her visit to a neighbour’s home in Kiima village, Mbooni Constituency, turned into a nightmare. A battle against pain and drain.

 

She is a case study in our continued episode of Better Lives for Dogs on The Chamwada Report that aired on Thursday ahead of World Rabies Day on September 28th. The theme of the campaign was "United Against Rabies."

Part one of this story focused on why dogs roam around, what it takes to be a responsible dog owner and why dogs too, against all the odds, deserve humane treatment. You can read the story here.

In the second episode, we pitch camp in Makueni County whose dog population is about 120,000 according to a recent survey. Here, we interact with dog owners, health officers from the County Government and World Animal Protection. The County Government of Makueni is racing against time to vaccinate over 70 per cent of that population to eliminate or prevent rabies, the most dreaded virus emanating from stray dogs.

Luckily, the dog that bit Priscillah did not have rabies, and she is now completing the required vaccination and monitoring by doctors. Remember rabies is not curable.

Bretta Mutisya, Makueni County health promotion officer says there were at least 749 dog bites in that region between April 2017 and August 2018.

Statistics also indicate that rabies kills about 60,000 people globally. In Africa, the figure stands at 24,000 according to World Animal Protection while in Kenya, the dreaded virus kills 2000 people, that is about five deaths a day.

However, Dr Emily Mudoga, the companion animal manager at the Animal Protection believes there has been tremendous progress in creating awareness about dogs and responsible ownership in Makueni County.

“In Makueni, I gauge it as a progress because we have ended up with outcomes that we never thought we would have,” she told Chams Media.

The campaign to reach out to the community in the county on better lives for dogs and awareness about rabies is also on a notch higher.

“As a health promotion officer, we reach out to the community using various strategies and educate them about rabies prevention, we tell every household with a dog to ensure their dogs are vaccinated,” said Bretta Mutisya.

Also on the show are two dogs, Bruno and Simba. Both of whom are at the centre of awareness creation on responsible dog ownership in Kathonzweni ward.

Catch The Chamwada Report that aired on KTN News Channel on Thursday in the video attached.

More comprehensive report follows....

 

Hydroponic farming refers to the technique of growing any plant without implanting it in soil. However much this method of farming has been in existence for a while now, many people still are not aware of this new development.

In June this year, The Chamwada Report took you through the whole process of hydroponic farming.This was after hydroponic farming was featured on Daring Abroad and thereafter receiving a huge demand from the public about more information on the same.

At the Kabete Rehabilitation School, it has become appallingly obvious that technology, like art, is a soaring exercise of the human imagination. The youth here have been inspired to participating in hydroponic farming, and this is exactly what could transform their lives.

Moses Aswani, the Extension officer at Miramar College explained to the Chams Media team that they had students who underwent training at the college and thereafter had to come up with their own farms. This way they are rated based on how they plant and eventually harvest to prove that they understood the training they were given.

Miramar International College located in Muthiga off Waiyaki way in Kikuyu Constituency, Kiambu County is the college that has transferred the practice to Kabete Rehabilitation School among other beneficiaries. They explained in detail what hydroponic farming is all about. Whereas everyone else knows the key elements to germination are air, water and warmth, the scientists at Miramar have proven that pumis (volcanic rocks) or granite can still lead to germination. Because different plants require different nutrients, they have learnt to come up with specific nutrients for each and every of their plants.

African Hydroponic Ltd is one of the companies that provides hydroponic systems and solutions to producers of hydroponic crops. Chris Mukindia, is the company’s managing director.

“When people use the soil for a long time, it can get contaminated by diseases or accumulate pathogens which are not conducive for production,” Chris said. “So they are forced to go into hydroponics.”

Collins Kibet, a graduant of Miramar International College now residing in Kiambururu in Kiambu County practices what he gained while in college. He manages a private farm of an investor who has ventured into the hydroponic farming business. Apart from that, he has opened up various firms that venture in hydroponics including a hydroponics consultancy firm. He says, he hopes to grow and set up even more farms all over the region.

Setting up a hydroponic system may be costly but very much effective and manageable. If well managed, this may become a boost in Kenya’s economy, tomorrow.

 

Lavender Amunga contribute to this article. 

NAIROBI- Are you a dog owner? Or do you naturally like dogs for pets and for other reasons? Or do you fear these animals? How conversant are you with proper care for dogs? Well,  this week on The Chamwada Report ,we pitch camp in Kawangware and Dagoretti areas of Nairobi -as case study regions with dogs. To find out more about dogs and how to treat and take good care of them. 

Dogs are friendly animals especially when treated well, given food and just like humans, they too neede medical attention.

Animal experts tell The Chamwada Report that most dogs roam the streets as a result of negligence from their owners. And this comes with risks as stray dogs often attack people not known to them.

Diana Onyango, the executive officer at the Kenya society for protection and care for animals, a charity organization that works on upholding the welfare of animals, says dog owners across the country need to take good care of their animals.

"These stray animals don't come from nowhere," she said.

"They end up in the streets as a result of irresponsible ownership."

There are risks associated with poor management of these animals. For instance, attacks if they feel threatened. Another risk which is mostly feared, is rabies, the virus caused by a bite from stray dogs.

Statistics from the animal welfare organization indicate that rabies cause about 59,000 deaths in the world every year with about 24000 of them happening in Africa.

With the population of nearly 100 million dogs in Africa expected to double by 2050, organizations tasked with improving the welfare of these animals are in a race against time to eliminate deaths resulting from rabies. To do that, about 70 per cent of the dog population in Kenya and the continent must be vaccinated.

In the show, vets share their knowledge on rabies, its dangers and why it literally kills within ten days after a bite.

#BetterLivesForDogs hosted by Alex Chamwada, aired Thursday on KTN News at 8:30pm.

Watch the informative show on the video attached.

You can join the conversation online using the hash tag #BetterLivesForDogs.

NAIROBI- Last week, The Chamwada Report tackled the issue of debts, deals and bilateral talks between Kenya and various countries around the world, the United States, the United Kingdom and China.

In the report dubbed Deals or Debt, Alex Chamwada sought answers to many questions being asked by the public. He also dug deeper into what has been mostly seen as a looming crisis, Kenya's rate of borrowing and how the money is being used.

Permanent Secretary in the State Department for Trade Dr Chris Kiptoo said Kenya secured a Sh50 billion from the US towards improvement of the digital economy through national integrated digital information and communication infrastructure network. This will be supported by Exim bank and the US trade and development agency.

However, economic experts expressed varied opinions about the US trip.

Peter Warutere, an economist who spoke to Chams Media,  said the US deals were not spectacularly successful for economic purposes in terms of money rolling out.

On Theresa May's visit to Kenya, it was reported that the United Kingdom would put a 4 billion pounds investment deals in Africa. PS Kiptoo said the UK is one of the top investors in Kenya with over 250 well established companies in the country employing about 250,000 Kenyans. This accumulates to about 2.7 billion pounds worth of investment in Kenya.

On to China and according to State House, the deals focused on the role of the private sector. That a 30 kilometer expressway from JKIA through the city to Westlands will be constructed. Alongside three others (see in video), this will cost about Sh15 billion and will ne funded through a partnership involving Chinese private companies under the Kenya government roads annuity program.

Kwame Owino from the Institute of Economic Affairs told Chams Media that the best model to fund these projects is Public Private Partnership as financing through a loan would increase the national debt.

Watch the comprehensive and informative in the vide attached.

Four months ago, The Chamwada Report did a report dubbed River in Waste, that revealed the causes and extent of pollution of the Nairobi River.

The report indicated that pollution of Nairobi River is caused majorly by human activity such as  irresponsible waste disposal and illegal construction of structures along the river banks thus narrowing or blocking the natural flow of water.

Since then, the government embarked on a battle to reclaim the river. This would see the commencement of a crackdown against encroachment of riparian land within the city and issuing a ban on use of plastic bags.

Residential buildings and business premises have so far been demolished amid protest from political leaders accusing the government of being inconsiderate of citizens' hard earned property.

But what exactly is a riparian land? And, are demolitions of illegal structures enough to help in reclaiming Nairobi River in the now infamous Regeneration Program?

Alex Chamwada sought experts' views on this and more on the process that has elicited mixed reactions.

The show aired on Thursday at KTN News and you can now watch it on the video attached.

VIHIGA COUNTY- Misuse of fertilisers coupled with lack of information and unavailability of the input has been a constant threat to farmers across the country.  Often times farmers use wrong fertilisers on wrong soil or just put way too much quantity on small pieces of land.

It is an issue that has affected crop production in various parts of the country and while the fight to get things right intensifies, the issue never fades off.

But in Vihiga County, the fight against fake fertilisers and to educate farmers on the same has gone a notch higher.

The county government decided to work with Export Trading Group, a fertilizer blending company based in Mombasa to provide tailor-made fertiliser which was used for the first time this year during the first planting season of the year.

Locals say it is a step that has improved farms yields.

Chams Media's Alex Chamwada visited Vihiga County to find out how this is happening, its impact and what the farmers and County government officials say about it. Watch the informative show on the video attached.

Also, join the conversation on Twitter via the hashtag #TheChamwadaReport

KIRINYAGA COUNTY- Mwea Tebere irrigation scheme has grown in leaps and bounds. Once a small center that served as a detention camp for the Mau Mau detainees in early 1950s, Mwea Tebere has turned into a gold mine for locals of Kirinyaga County thanks to fruitful rice farming and the ever rising demand across the country.

Statistics indicate that about 95 per cent of rice in Kenya is grown under irrigation in paddy schemes managed by the National Irrigation Board (NIB). And Mwea Tebere is the largest rice irrigation scheme in the country, producing over 50% of the local rice.

Here is the sneak peek to tonight's show:

Rice farming here is lucrative but challenging. It is a venture that has transformed lives of many locals both economically and socially.

Banks and other financial institutions have become familiar with Mwea Tebere, an indication of the productivity of the business in the area.

But the journey hasn't been without its fair share of challenges. From unpredictable weather conditions to brokers minting cash from unsuspecting farmers, among others.

This Thursday, the Chamwada Report show pitched camp in Mwea Tebere, Kirinyaga County to dig deep into the impact of rice farming, challenges and the way forward.