Peter Macharia, a politician from Gatundu North, embarked on rabbit farming in 2008 due to the high demand for white meat in the region.
He holds a Masters of Arts in political science from Kenyatta University and is also the principal of Christian Industrial Training College and a volunteer co-ordinator at the Rabbit Association of Kenya.
He noted that rabbit rearing is the cheapest venture to engage in as the initial capital, feeding and maintenance of the rabbits is low.
“Farmers also get to benefit from rabbits products including urine that is sprayed on kales to control pests, the manure is known for its high nitrogen content and space utilisation in rabbit rearing is very convenient and efficient. I developed the passion to rear rabbits after conducting a survey and found out that the rabbit industry is growing fast,” Macharia said.
He started with 10 rabbits but the number has grown to 300 which earn him good returns.
In 2010, Macharia joined the Rabbit Association of Kenya as a national volunteer coordinator where he is still working, educating farmers on rabbit rearing practices and collaborating with other officials to introduce new rabbit breeds to farmers.
He said the government spent Sh10 million to construct a rabbit slaughter house in Thika where 2,000 rabbits are slaughtered every Wednesday.
“The association has embarked on rabbit meat value addition by processing sausages, meat loafs and samosas which are sold in supermarkets in Gatundu, Juja, Ruiru and Thika towns. Rabbit supply in the region does not meet the demand as most Kenyans are now consuming white meat due to the increase of diseases associated with red meat. We gather 500kg of rabbit meat every week which is not even a quarter of the meat demanded in the country. There is a ready market for rabbits but the supply is too low,” he said.
A mature rabbit weighs between four and six kilogrammes. One kilo fetches Sh500.
Macharia said the market for the rabbit skins is a challenge because there are no tanneries for the skins in the country. He urged the government to provide farmers with the latest technology in tanning which has the potential to double their income.
“Rabbit skin has a high price than the meat because of the quality and value it adds to other products like clothes or bags. But in Kenya rabbit farmers incur huge losses as most of the skins are dumped because we have no tanneries in our country. It is now up to the government to make sure that the facilities are put up in different parts of the country,” Macharia said.
He is rearing five types of rabbit breeds — the Chinchilla, New Zealand white, California white, the Angola breed and the Flemish giant.
“I believe that one can support himself without formal employment. My rabbits are enough to cater for everything in my life, even educating my children,” Macharia said.
Kiambu county agriculture executive Dr Monica Waiganjo said the county government is laying down plans to organise forums in all 60 wards in Kiambu to educate farmers on rabbit rearing.
“Rabbit meat is on high demand because it is very nutritious. Our county government is determined to ensure that it becomes the top rabbit meat producer in the country. We plan to procure machines for rabbit meat value addition,” Waiganjo said.
She said that the county is looking forward to enabling farmers form co-operatives aimed at promoting rabbit farming in Kiambu.
The national government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, has gone an extra mile in publishing manuals that will guide farmers interested in rabbit farming. It has also set aside a budget to educate farmers on rabbit rearing in the country. One of the manuals used in the country is the National Rabbit Development Strategy and Implementation Framework.
Princewoods Farm 