Oranges offer former hotel accountant a blissful retirement

Joseph Kilai in his orange farm in Nanyuki town, Laikipia County. He specialised in oranges because they have a good market and are not too demanding. PHOTO| JAMES MURIMI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The region is also endowed with volcanic soil that helps in production of healthy fruits.
  • He has increased the number to over 200, with the fruits offering him a sweet retirement.
  • KCSAP Laikipia coordinator Muriuki Kiboi said agribusiness development that is initiated by the community is sustainable.

By the time Joseph Kilai was retiring from Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club in Nanyuki town as a senior accountant in 2015, he had planted 100 orange fruit seedlings on his half-acre farm.

He has increased the number to over 200, with the fruits offering him a sweet retirement.

Seeds of Gold finds Kilai on his farm in Ruai estate in Nanyuki, Laikipia County, dressed in a white overcoat and black gumboots. "Orange farming demands a lot of discipline,” says the farmer as he takes us on a tour of the farm.

“I attend to every tree on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, scouting for diseases and pests. You need to know each tree and what they need," he offers, noting aphids and whiteflies are some of the insects he grapples with as they feed on the fruit's flower buds and deform them.

Laikipia County, he observes, has 69 rainy days spread across every year, which makes the region conducive for orange farming. The region is also endowed with volcanic soil that helps in production of healthy fruits.

"There are a lot of challenges during cold seasons in June, July and August, which leads to diseases," he observes.

He specialised in oranges because they have a good market and are not too demanding. He grows Washington navel varieties and tangerines.

INCREASE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY

To grow the seedlings, he digs holes at a spacing of 6-9 feet, applies manure before covering the young plants with soil. One gets the first fruits within two years.

"I am unable to satisfy the demand alone. Most of the oranges consumed in Nanyuki come from Meru, Makueni and Tanzania. We should consume our own fruits," says the 53-year-old, who grew up in Makueni, where citrus farming is a major economic activity.

John Wambugu, an agronomist at the Wambugu Agricultural Training Centre in Nyeri, says to eliminate pests and diseases, farmers should spray their oranges with specific chemicals.

“One can also lay traps on the orange trees to capture the male insects and reduce the spread of their population. The pheromones in those traps will kill the male insects, eliminating chances of population increase.”

Recently, small-scale farmers in Laikipia received Sh44.8 million from the World Bank through the county government under the Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project (KCSAP). The project aims to increase agricultural productivity.

Governor Ndiritu Muriithi disbursed Sh37.8 million to 90 common interest groups and Sh7 million to 20 vulnerable and marginalised groups.

KCSAP Laikipia coordinator Muriuki Kiboi said agribusiness development that is initiated by the community is sustainable.

The funds were issued to farmers in Rumuruti, Ol Moran, Salama, Ngobit, Tigithi and Segera wards.