Napier grass sways slowly from side to side as we navigate through a narrow dusty road off the Ndumberi-Githunguri road.

The area is green with coffee and eucalyptus grown in some areas. Our destination is Gathigi, Kiambu county, where one police officer attached to former President Mwai Kibaki’s home in Muthaiga, breeds dairy cows for sale.

Mr Peter Mungai was introduced to dairy farming sometime back by his father, a retired discipline forces man.

After securing employment in 2007, he borrowed money from a bank and embarked on dairy farming, specialising in breeding mainly heifers.

“I took Sh400,000 which I spent on buying heifers that were not in-calf. I bought four, each costing Sh35,000 then went for six that were in calf, for Sh55,000 each,’’ says Mungai.

Initially, he constructed wooden structures and troughs for feeding his animals but has since improved and constructed concrete feeding troughs. He has connected piped water next to where the feeds are placed.

“I have connected pipes and you will never find a worker walking around with buckets. It is just a matter of opening the taps,’’ says the farmer, who has seven employees.

He says his cows are fed day and night since the feeds are placed in the troughs throughout.

He has 80 cows and more than 90 per cent of are female. He also specialises in breeding of Friesians “because they produce a lot of milk’’. “I’ve four Ayrshires only,’’ adds the farmer.

Besides earning from selling the animals, he also benefits from selling milk. He gets between 300 and 350 litres of milk per day. He sells it to Fresher Dairies at about Sh38 per litre.

Mungai sells a 4-6 months-old calf at between Sh50,000 and Sh60,000, while a 6-12 months-old one goes for between Sh70,000 and Sh80,000.

He also sells heifers that are not in-calfs at Sh120,000 each. “For the lactating cows, having calved once, it goes between Sh165,000 and Sh170,000,’’ he says.

He feeds his cows with napier grass which is also supplemented with other feeds.

The farmer has given his cows human names which he says helps in creating a bond between them, something he claims has been scientifically proven to help, for instance, in boosting milk yields.

At the farm, a vet is always on standby to ensure they are in good health.

The farmer, who uses artificial insemination to breed his cows, says that the business of breeding and selling dairy cows is lucrative.  

He plans to venture into goat farming and is doing research on the best breeds for milk and meat.

According to Dr Joseph Mugachia, the Friesian breed is the most ideal in Kenya as butterfat content in milk is not considered. “Friesian is an ideal breed because it provides milk in large volumes, which is the only determinant of dairy profitability,’’ he says.  

[email protected]   


Want to get latest farming tips and videos?
Join Us