The biggest irony of poultry farming business in Kenya is that even as traders are busy importing eggs from Uganda, their counterparts are exporting chicks to that country.

A roaring export trade of day-old chicks is erupted on the Kenya – Uganda border with the young birds destined not only for Uganda, but also Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The truck transporting the chicks are ferrying them through Malaba and Busia border points to importers mostly based in Jinja, Kampala, Kigali and various towns in the DRC.

Most of the chick exports are coming from poultry farms in Nakuru, Uasin Gishu, Kericho, Kisumu, Kakamega and other counties, but ironically not Busia county right on the Kenya – Uganda border.

Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) officials, both in Malaba and Busia, say between 5,000 to 10,000 day-old or slightly older chicks are exported daily to these regions due to high demand in those markets.

“It is true we clear these delicate cargoes daily destined for markets in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and even DRC. They are delicate cargo whose clearance to cross the border cannot be delayed for long,” a senior KRA official Joseph Owino said.

He said the exports of the chicks from Kenya to these destinations started sometimes in late 2017 but by the end of last year had remarkably increased. Owino confirmed that most of the exports are coming from poultry farms in various parts of the country, even from central Kenya, there is virtually none from Busia County.

New phenomenon

Busia county Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry Peter Kubebea said very few people in the county had invested in large-scale poultry farming and that is why they were not able to exploit the situation being on the border.

“The export of chicks to these countries is, however, a new phenomenon whose value in monetary terms is yet to be fully documented to be able to determine how much revenue these exports are generating but with time the statistics will emerge,” he said.

He said the emergence of these markets have created enormous opportunities for investors in Bungoma and Busia counties to invest heavily in poultry farming not only for chicks but also chicken meat exports. According to David Kipkosgey representing the exporters, the trade involved both broilers and layers chicks.

Source Mediamax

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