Kakamega County enters the Kenyan fish export scene, lands a deal to ship 10 tonnes of fish to Italy on a weekly basis
The county’s strategic move is inspired by the DAS Group run Lutonyi fish processing plant, a Sh120 million facility located within Kakamega town that resumed operations with renewed vigour, surmounting a two-year hiatus stemming from internal conflicts among its directors over operational matters.
According to Samwel Ondieki, Chief Executive Officer of the DAS Group, the inaugural shipment of fish is slated to depart the country next week. Ondieki also revealed that the recent international standards certification — encompassing warehousing, storage, and aggregation— of the fish processing plant, paved the way for processing, storage, and export of fish to European countries, notably Italy.
Ondieki said that the factory has “diligently fulfilled” all prerequisites, awaiting the final approval from the directorate of fisheries before embarking on fish exportation. Endorsement from the Aquaculture Business Development Programme (ADBP) and the International Fund for Agriculture and Development is another testament to the plant’s excellence.
“We are waiting for the last inspection from the directorate of fisheries to approve the exportation of fish to Italy twice a week… What is remaining is just delivery,” said Ondieki.
While the final nod from the directorate of fisheries is anticipated within two weeks, Ondieki expressed confidence in their preparedness, adding that the fish plant’s expansion trajectory envisions key markets such as Dubai, the UK, and the Netherlands.
“These destinations await the directorate of fisheries’ green light, mirroring the accomplished Memorandum of Understanding signed with Italy,” he said.
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