By Nelson Mandela
A simple visit to Uganda became a life-changing venture for Charles Owino, Kenya’s former police spokesperson. Inspired by what he saw, Charles teamed up with Mr. Salim Musonerwa, a Ugandan aquaculture expert, to establish Western Aqua Fish Farm in the peaceful countryside of western Kenya. Today, their hatchery is one of the most efficient in the region, producing millions of healthy catfish and tilapia fingerlings annually.
The farm’s success lies in its expert application of advanced fish breeding techniques from hormone-induced spawning to meticulous grading and nursery management. Eggs are collected from selected broodstock and hatched in controlled indoor environments. Once the larvae emerge, they're carefully nurtured, graded by size, and transferred to specialized nursery ponds designed to minimize stress and ensure high survival rates.
Western Aqua's team greatly emphasizes broodstock selection, water quality management, and secure transportation methods to deliver robust fingerlings to farmers across western Kenya. Their focus on quality and adaptability has made their fingerlings highly sought-after, especially by smallholder farmers looking to scale their operations. The farm produces fast-growing hybrid tilapia that blend the hardiness of Nile and Zilli strains, ensuring better yields and delayed reproduction, a crucial factor for commercial fish farming. By offering fingerlings at affordable prices, the farm empowers local farmers, boosting rural incomes and creating a ripple effect throughout the community. In addition to fingerling production, the farm also grows market-ready fish, contributing to food security and income diversification.
Despite challenges such as fluctuating feed prices and transportation risks, Charles and Salim have built a resilient model grounded in expertise and innovation. Salim, trained in Uganda and passionate about capacity-building, leads ongoing training and system improvements. Together, the duo views fish farming not just as a business but as a way of life, one that transforms communities, creates employment, and unlocks economic opportunities in Kenya’s rural areas.
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