Inspiring Story of Teacher Using His Salary to Keep Students in School

Chris Saidimu, a teacher at Somutwo Primary School in Laikipia West, Laikipia County rares chicken to help students.
Chris Saidimu, a teacher at Somutwo Primary School in Laikipia West, Laikipia County rares chicken to help students.
Courtesy Chris Saidimu

A teacher at Somutwo Primary School in Laikipia West has been forced to use his own money and even acquire loans to keep learners in school.

Through the sale of eggs and chicken, Chris Saidimu has been able to facilitate learners who come from poverty-stricken families in the arid county. The teacher went to the lengths of sponsoring exams for pupils in Standard Seven and Eight.

Saidimu started the project after he realised most of his learners lacked the basics school materials and he took his salary as a means to support the children. However, this was not enough to even sustain the learners for a term.

The teachers started a project that would generate revenue that he uses to facilitate the learners. Saidimu approached the Somutwo Primary School headteacher with his proposal and the school allocated him a piece of land for his project.

Chris Saidimu, a teacher at Somutwo Primary School in Laikipia West, Laikipia County rares chicken to help students
Chris Saidimu, a teacher at Somutwo Primary School in Laikipia West, Laikipia County rares chicken to help students
Courtesy Chris Saidimu

He set up a chicken rearing project with the hope of raising revenue and helping the children. Despite not having substantive knowledge on chicken rearing, Saidimu used the internet to his advantage.

Owing to his passion to help the needy learners, the teacher used all his savings and acquired a few loans from friends to kick start the project.

“So with all the savings I had, a few loans and assistance from a few friends, I started Arid Poultry Farm in 2019. I hired labourers to set up the houses, bought feeds and feeding and watering troughs, and with empowering the community in mind, I bought 200 chickens from villagers," stated Saidimu.

But a few months into the project, Saidimu faced one of the most devastating setbacks following the outbreak of a viral disease that left him with only five chicken.

“I had rushed into the project impulsively out of passion. I did not know chicken needed to be vaccinated, or even the existence of the vaccines. The outbreak hit us hard, and only five chicken survived out of the 200," he explained.

But before he could get out of the woods, Saidimu faced the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the prices of chicken feed increased drastically. The teacher had to find alternative means to the feeds such as maize which he sourced from the local community.

During this period, he also bought an incubator and began hatching chicks both for the farm and for sale. From the revenues generated through the chicken project, Saidimu managed to drill a borehole for the school and end the perennial water shortage.

Learners also use the project to study while other schools in the community also benefit from the same directly and indirectly. 

Chris Saidimu, a teacher at Somutwo Primary School in Laikipia West, Laikipia County rares chicken to help students with members of the community who visited his project
Chris Saidimu, a teacher at Somutwo Primary School in Laikipia West, Laikipia County rares chicken to help students with members of the community who visited his project
Courtesy Chris Saidimu

“They get to acquire entrepreneurial skills, and the proudest moments for me are when a student approaches me asking me to buy a chicken or eggs from them so that they can provide for themselves," Saidimu explained.

“We also organise educational trips for the students, most of whom have never set foot outside this locality. When they travel and go to places like Thompson Falls in Nyahururu, they not only get to learn but also refresh and have fun, which is very important in their development."