Sanaipei Tande, one of the earliest figures in the Kenyan showbiz industry, is renowned for wearing many hats. She gained fame after her victory in the Coca-Cola Popstars competition at the turn of the century.
She is an award-winning Kenyan singer, songwriter, radio personality, karaoke host and actress. Recently, the multi-talented entertainer known for her sultry Swahili voice revealed that she is a chicken farmer.
In an interview with Citizen TV’s Violetta Ngina, she said that she has kept chickens on her farm in the Memusi area of Lower Matasia, Ngong. Sanaipei rears Kienyeji chicken both for meat and eggs.
Sanaipei Tande opened up about her chicken farming venture, explaining that she initially began with high hopes for commercial success.
However, she eventually discontinued the venture due to many requirements and limitations posed by restaurants and butcheries, which proved to be a setback.
“Sometimes they wanted us to supply a certain number every week, which now became an issue because we hadn’t got to a point where there was enough for us to supply like that,” she explained.
Additionally, at the time, there was an influx of chicken farmers in Kenya. She said that nearly everybody was a chicken farmer. Securing the market for chicken products was a hard task unless one had the right connections.
She decided to give her chicken farming a fresh start after the first setback. Her business approach now involves acquiring orders by reaching out to businesses or people in need of her products.
She strongly emphasized the importance of selling recently collected eggs to her customers. Sanaipei packages her eggs in sets of 30, just as they are arranged in trays, and then delivers them to her clients.
Meet farmer minting profits from rearing over 2,000 kienyeji chickens
The major challenge she faces in the poultry business is keeping up with the supply requirements some high-end clients require.
She advised young farmers who have land, be it ancestral, parent’s land or personal land, to venture into farming as early as they can. Sanaipei argued that shelter and food are the two most basic necessities for human beings. Hence there will always be a ready market.
“When I look at where I live, I’m on agricultural land. To sit and do nothing with it is like an insult to those who have no spaces to farm and that’s the only thing they know how to do,” she said.
“Here you are, you’ve been given the opportunity, the land and the know-how. Why not use it to the best of your ability and even for the benefit of other people?”
Sanaipei Tande disclosed that she has witnessed progress in her chicken farming venture and has generated a good income from her business as a part-time chicken farmer.
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