from a teacher to a multi million farming enterprise

"From a meare salary of Sh 5,000 a month, six
years ago, young Kimani’s assets are worth a
few millions, and still counting"
A teaching job interview that saw Francis
Kimani compete for one post with another 60
graduates was the only thing he needed to
know he was not meant to live off teaching, his
area of training.

He had graduated with a Bachelor of Education
degree (Kiswahili and History) from Kenyatta
University in 2008 and gotten a Board of
Governors (BOG) teaching job at Ngoliba Sec
School. He earned Sh 5,000 a month and his
take home was between Sh 2,500 and Sh 3,500
after transport deduction!

But six years later, Kimani is worth more than
Sh 50Million with a monthly income of about Sh
40,000. His wife, a full time manager at the
farm, is also paid a similar amount every
month.
"The interview in my own school really
disappointed me. I was already teaching there
but the person who got the job had graduated
10 years before me. I decided the Teachers
Service Commission(TSC) job was the wrong
dream to chase," says Kimani.

His farm at Munyu, 20 kilometres from Thika
town is an apt example of a meat empire built
in under six years.
In the farm, there are 202 goats, 93 cows, 56
kienyenji chicken and 17 boran cattle.

"I chose to farm meat animals because the
demand for meat is high. It can only grow
higher with growing population and shrinking
herds in many farms," he says.
At his backyard, Kimani has three vehicles,
including a Mercedes Benz and several rental
houses in the outskirts of Thika Town, all
estimated to be worth millions of shillings.

"I started by leasing ten acres of land. Since
then, I have bought several lands. I bought this
farm," he explains.
The breeds at Kimani’s farm are cross breeds as
they give better yields. His goats weigh between
35 and 65 kilos while his fat boran cattle from
Garissa weigh about 250 kilograms. "The cattle
sell at Sh 60,000. The goats fetch about Sh
10,000. I normally sell my animals in intervals
of three months," he explains.

He adds, "As a youth, I thought my education
should help me know how I can live a better
life not just to get a formal job. The obsession
with formal jobs is a misconception that is
eating our youth," advises.
Kimani believes there will be an agribusiness
explosion in the coming years and encourages
the youth to see farming as the next big thing.

"Population in towns is increasing and demand
is rising. There is no way agricultural produce
will miss market in the near future," he
confidently says.