Kapsoit Member of County Assembly (MCA) Paul Chirchir at his dairy unit in Kenugut village in Ainamoi constituency.

Having realised that politics can sometimes be too hot to handle, like other wise politicians, Paul Chirchir, current Kapsoit MCA, revitalises his energy on his dairy farm in Kericho County. 

At his farm in Kenugut village, Chirchir keeps 20 cows.

He shares how he juggles between county job and the farm.

“Before I leave for my duties at the County Assembly or attend to other development matters, I have to come to the dairy unit to check on the cows and give workers instructions,” he says.

Though he has now settled, he has learnt vital lessons since he started in 2017.

“I began by buying eight cows from a farmer from Nakuru at a cost of Sh1 million. Some cows were in-calf,” he recalls. He settled on two breeds of cattle; Freshians and Ayrshires for their admirable qualities.

“I keep the Fresians because of their high milk production and the Ayrshires for the butter content in the milk,” he says. 

Depending on the type of animal feeds provided to the cows, the highest milk producing cow on his farm can produce between 25-30 litres of milk per milking session. 

“On average, I get slightly over 200 litres of milk per day from five cows,” he says. 

The milk is sold right at the farm gate, neighbouring schools and a milk shop at Kapsoit trading centre. He earns Sh10,000 daily from the sale of milk. 

To assist him take care of the dairy unit, the MCA has employed two farm hands. 

For high milk production, Chirchir says close monitoring of the cows is crucial.

The challenges

Like for all farmers, the biggest challenge is buying animal feeds. 

“The cost is very high,” he says.

To circumvent this hurdle, Chirchir has planted yellow maize, Boma Rhodes which he turns into silage.

He has also devised ingenious ways to minimise wastage. 

“We use manure from the dairy unit to fertilise the land,” he says.

For newbies, he cautions that one of the mistakes they make is careless storage of animal feeds, of which he has faced. 

“One farmhand was to blame for this. The food began rotting and turned toxic. Luckily, I noticed it before it could be fed to the animals and disposed it off immediately,” he recalls.

To avoid such a costly mistake, Chirchir says food must be stored in a standard storage facility. 

“Food must be stored at the right temperature in a well ventilated store. The store must be free of dampness,” he advises. 

For high yields, cleanliness is also key. 

“Everything in use at the dairy unit must be clean including the cow mattress. This prevents infection such as mastitis which occur when cows lie down and milk trickles down from the udder,” he warns. 

A clean and reliable source of water goes a long way in ensuring a successful dairy unit.

He has invested in two water tanks that hold 6,000 litres of water. 

“Whenever it rains, the water tanks also come in handy in harvesting the rainfall,” he says. 

Other top tips

For those interested in dairy farming, he says it is not a must for a farmer to own a pedigree cow — the fresians and all—to get a lot of milk. 

“In my farm for instance, only five cows are pedigree animals. I have discovered that if you feed any breed well it will reward you in kind by giving you plenty of milk. A well fed cow is a milk guzzler,” says Chirchir. 

To increase his herd, Chirchir intends to sell two bulls and replace them with heifers.  

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