Introduction:
Uasin Gishu County, best known as Kenya’s breadbasket for its dominant maize and wheat production, is increasingly emerging as a promising frontier for aquaculture development. Characterized by loamy and clay soils, abundant water resources, and high rainfall, the County offers a naturally conducive environment for fish farming. These agro ecological conditions present an opportunity to diversify agricultural livelihoods, especially in the face of fluctuating grain markets and growing food security concerns.
In alignment with national priorities such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Kenya Vision 2030, as well as localized policy frameworks like the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) and the Nguzo Kumi blueprint spearheaded by Governor Jonathan Bii, the County has placed agriculture, particularly agribusiness, livestock, and fisheries, at the center of its economic transformation agenda. The fisheries sector contributes to multiple development goals by enhancing access to affordable protein-rich food, creating jobs along the aquaculture value chain, improving household nutrition through omega-3-rich fish consumption, and generating sustainable income for rural households.
Fish farming in Uasin Gishu is primarily conducted through pond systems and dam-based aquaculture, with over 4,000 farmers currently engaged in the practice, an impressive growth from fewer than 2,000 just two years ago. This increase is a result of deliberate County-led campaigns aimed at encouraging farmers to diversify beyond grain farming, a shift that is particularly timely given the rising need for climate-resilient and nutritionally balanced food systems.
To support this transition, the County Government has rolled out a number of aquaculture initiatives. These include restocking public dams with fingerlings, providing pond liners, starter and finisher fish feeds, training programs, and encouraging the formation of farmer cooperatives. Strategic partnerships, such as with the University of Eldoret, have further boosted these efforts through technical support and the establishment of hatcheries to ensure availability of quality fingerlings.
Despite the positive momentum, several constraints continue to impede the sector’s full potential. These include the high cost of fish feed, accounting for up to 65% of production costs, limited access to certified fingerlings, water scarcity and pollution, insufficient extension services, lack of structured markets, minimal value addition, financial barriers, and increasing vulnerability to climate change. Unpredictable rainfall patterns, floods, and droughts frequently disrupt pond water levels, affecting fish survival and productivity.
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