Farmer Beats all Odds to Rise from Despair to a Thriving Poultry Enterprise

Farming brought my life back.

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These are the words of a thriving entrepreneur who once contemplated ending her life. As we settle down for an interview on her neatly mowed lawn, Rosebella Kimaruti greets me with a warm smile that lingers a little longer than expected. Around us, healthy trees sway gently in the breeze. Colourful flowers brighten the compound, while a calf grazes nearby and flocks of chickens roam freely. Looking around, you would never guess the challenges that have shaped this journey. The farm radiates abundance, calm, and hope.

Rosebella's journey has been anything but easy. "My story is long, but I will try to shorten it," she says with a brief laugh before falling silent for a moment. "I had only been married for three years when I separated from my husband. Suddenly, I was left alone to raise my three sons without any source of income."

Seeking refuge at her parents' home did not bring the comfort she had hoped for. "When I went back home, my brother chased me away," she recalls. At the time, Rosebella was barely 25 years old. Faced with the responsibility of providing for her children, she did whatever she could to survive. She started a small business selling chapati and tea, an enterprise that required very little capital.

"I would prepare chapati and tea and hawk them along the roads, in the market, and anywhere I could find customers. People nicknamed me 'Sufuria Moto,' meaning 'hot pot,' because I was always carrying hot tea and fresh chapati."

Even with relentless effort, the income was rarely enough. "There were days when I had to choose between buying food, paying rent, or taking my children to school. Food always came first."

The difficult choices often came at a heavy cost. At times, the family was evicted because rent had fallen due before she could raise enough money. Her children's education was frequently interrupted as she struggled to make ends meet. The relentless financial pressure and uncertainty took a severe emotional toll on her. At one point, overwhelmed by the challenges and feeling as though there was no way out, she nearly lost hope and even contemplated ending her life. However, she found the strength to persevere, and was determined to keep fighting for her family's future. "I tried many different businesses, but I was always afraid of taking loans. I feared being unable to repay them."

Years later, with the little education they had acquired, her sons grew up and left for the city in search of casual employment opportunities. Around the same time, a compassionate well-wisher who had witnessed Rosebella's determination offered her a life-changing opportunity: support to acquire a half-acre piece of land. That small parcel of land would become the foundation upon which she rebuilt her life.

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A Mother's Gift Becomes the Seed of Prosperity

Shortly after settling on her new land, Rosebella's mother came to visit. As is customary in her community, she brought a chicken as a gift.

The bird was intended to be slaughtered and shared as a meal. However, Rosebella Kimaruti had long harbored a dream of keeping poultry. Instead of cooking it, she decided to rear it. What began with a single chicken gradually grew into a thriving poultry enterprise, as Rosebella passionately reared the chicken and ensuring the eggs it lay are brooded and hatch into chicks.

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Innovation Breeds Success

Today, Rosebella is a respected poultry farmer in her community, known for hatching and selling chicks. Her compound is constantly bustling with activity. Chickens, guinea fowls, and chicks of all ages occupy different sections of the farm. Through creativity and resourcefulness, she has developed low-cost solutions that allow her business to thrive.

Recognizing the need for proper brooding facilities, she improvises chick housing using recycled containers. "I collect wood shavings and place them inside large water containers that have been perforated for ventilation. They provide a warm and comfortable environment for newly hatched chicks, and they cost me almost nothing," she explains. This innovation has significantly reduced her production costs while ensuring the survival of young chicks.

Over the years, the flock multiplied into hundreds of birds, transforming a simple cultural gift into a source of wealth and stability. Today, she sells day-old chicks at KSh 150 each, while mature chickens fetch KSh 1,000 or more depending on size and breed.

The proceeds from poultry farming have enabled Rosebella to gradually build a permanent house and establish a productive farm. She grows bananas, sweet potatoes, cassava, millet, pawpaws, avocados, and other crops that contribute to both household nutrition and income.

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Strengthening the Business Through Training

Poultry farming requires constant vigilance. Disease outbreaks can wipeout an entire flock within a short period, causing devastating losses. Through  regular visits from extension officers from Biovision Africa Trust, Rosebella hasgained valuable knowledge that has strengthened her enterprise.

She has been trained to formulate homemade poultry feed using locally available ingredients such as maize flour, maize bran, omena, and sunflower seed cake. This has helped reduce feed costs, one of the largest expenses in poultry production.

In addition, she has learned the importance of timely vaccination and disease prevention. "I also know how to manage some poultry ailments using plant-based remedies, thanks to the training I received from Biovision Africa Trust," she says. Before receiving this support, Rosebella  frequently lost birds to common diseases such as Newcastle disease and fowl pox. Now, she is better equipped to prevent and manage such challenges.

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A Future Filled with Hope

The mother of three, continues to expand her poultry enterprise and remains optimistic about the future. "I feel secure now," she says with a smile. "I no longer worry about food or shelter." Her farm provides much of what her household needs. Bananas, cassava, maize, fruits, eggs, chicken meat, milk, and other nutritious foods are readily available, ensuring a balanced diet throughout the year.

"I have enough food from my garden and enough protein for my family. We eat well." Looking around her vibrant homestead, it is clear how much has changed. Where there was once uncertainty, there is now stability. Where there was despair, there is now purpose. Rosebella Kimaruti's story is a powerful reminder that resilience can overcome even the toughest circumstances.

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"My motto is simple: never give up," she says. "Even when life becomes harder than you think you can bear, keep going. Hope never disappoints."

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These words carry special weight coming from someone who once contemplated suicide. Today, she is grateful that despair did not overshadow her determination to keep moving forward.

When she thought her life was falling apart, farming gave her a new beginning. Now, her compound is teeming with life, a living testament to the power of perseverance, opportunity, and hope.

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