Rose Wangui Kingátua, 30, is a testament to the transformative power that agriculture can have on the youth across Africa. Her story is equal parts optimistic and inspirational - a portrait of what following one’s passion could lead to.
In 2010, Rose graduated from high school and immediately got married. Her Father-in Law gave her a cow as a gift as he had seen how interested she was with livestock. She took good care of the cow and eventually sold the cow to meet her living expenses. Some months later, she bought another cow and this time, instead of selling, she nurtured it with the intent of growing her herd.
To supplement her income, Rose got a job at a honey processing plant. However, this was short lived as she realized that farm productivity went down as a result of the job, and she eventually quit to focus on dairy farming. Upon returning to the farm, the productivity from her cows increased exponentially with her milk sales providing enough income to sustain both her and her husband as well as hire a fam assistant.
Last year, when COVID-19 hit Kenya, my husband was unfortunately laid off. However, the income from milk sales has enabled me to sustain our family, feed our cows and also hire a farm assistant. On average I sell around 15 to 20 litres of milk to Kieni Dairy Products Limited (KDPL) daily from my two lactating dairy cows. Now I own seven cows which provide me with a decent livelihood.