- A new honey processing unit is opening fresh income opportunities for Masinga farmers.
- Women and youth are turning beekeeping into a promising source of livelihood.
- Support, better processing and market access are helping farmers earn more from honey.
The Ndithini Community Development Association (NCDA) has launched a honey processing unit, turning resilience into opportunity and hope into harvest.
With over 7,000 members in a constituency of about 48,000 people, NCDA lives by its motto: people empowering people. Beyond its agriculture and credit finance programmes, the honey project is proving to be a game-changer for households battered by climate shocks.
Chairperson Martin Muoka said the biggest hurdles remain water scarcity and poor infrastructure. Masinga Sub-county has few tarmacked roads, leaving farmers at the mercy of brokers who buy produce at throwaway prices.
“Our people are hardworking, but without roads and water, they cannot get value for their sweat,” Muoka said.
Women finding a lifeline in beekeeping
For members like Lucy Kitetu, beekeeping has been a lifeline. In just three years, she has harvested 25 kilogrammes of honey.
“It is a lucrative venture that women should embrace. It does not require a lot of land and you can do it near your home,” she said.
At the NCDA plant, Quality Officer Alexander Nzomo inspected jars of pure, golden honey. He said farmers who invested early are now reaping big, thanks to support from Hand in Hand Eastern Africa, which provided modern processing equipment. Already, more than 400 farmers have joined the programme, managing over 1,300 beehives.
“I ensure the honey is pure and of the best quality for consumers. There are low seasons like January when there is no honey, but we buy and store during peak season so that customers never lack supply,” Nzomo said.
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He noted that bee farming is highly profitable because it requires no farm inputs like fertilisers and pesticides.
Farmer Francis Kitetu knows the pain of failure. He recorded a failed harvest in 2025. But this year, his three hives produced 11.5 kilogrammes, which he sold at Ksh 540 per kilogramme.
“I started bee farming last year and this year I harvested 11.5 kilos, selling at Ksh 540 per kilogramme, and I saw it was profitable farming. It is proof that patience pays,” said Kitetu.
Hand in Hand Eastern Africa Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Albert Wambugu is urging youth to embrace agriculture, noting Kenya faces a honey shortfall of 80,000 metric tonnes annually.
“Empowering communities ensures quality, traceability and enterprise growth. We focus on equipping farmers with knowledge and skills on beekeeping,” said Wambugu.
He said the organisation has trained both farmers and service providers who inspect hives regularly.
“We are creating an ecosystem together with partners like KCB, who is a financial partner in the area of apiculture,” he said.
The honey processing unit is fully certified by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) and the Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI), a major boost for market confidence.
According to Wambugu, farmers have earned over Ksh 700,000 in the last two years alone, a big milestone towards sustainability.
“Sustainability for us is when people are doing things in a responsible way, conscious of the future and especially in terms of protecting the environment,” he said.
He described NCDA as a model organisation that others can benchmark on as a functional and well-governed community institution.
By Gastone Valusi
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