Marvin Lwasa, the managing director of Masheda Holdings Ltd, is redefining the fish farming landscape through sustainable practices, value addition and community empowerment.
Established in 2019, Masheda Mixed Farm is located about 18 miles from Kampala in Buyala on the Mityana Road.
The farm is dedicated to producing premium, organic catfish products while prioritising environmental stewardship and customer satisfaction.
Masheda Mixed Farm ensures a year-round supply of high-quality catfi sh, free from chemical inputs and nurtured in fresh water from the Mayanja River.
“We add value to catfi sh by producing a range of high-quality smoked products, including smoked catfish fillets. One of our most innovative offerings is catfish powder, a highly nutritious superfood packed with omega-3, omega-6, vitamin B12, and essential minerals. Additionally, we produce fresh catfish fillets, catfish sausages, burgers and catfish samosas, alongside other new products that we continue to develop. This focus on value addition has not only expanded market access, but also provided opportunities to train and support other farmers,” Lwasa said.
However, Masheda’s impact extends far beyond its farms. Through partnering with small-scale farmers, the company produces approximately 110 tonnes of fish per month, with 50 tonnes coming directly from Masheda and 60 tonnes from out-growers.
“Given that catfish is a staple food in western and central Africa, our primary market has been the DR Congo, where we supply around 60 stores in Kinshasa alone. We also have a strong presence in Nairobi and the Central African Republic,” Lwasa explained.
Looking ahead, Masheda is set to expand into international markets.
“Earlier this year, we began preparations to list our products on Amazon, targeting consumers in Belgium, France and the UK. This expansion is driven by increasing demand from diaspora communities seeking high-quality, nutrient-rich catfish products,” Lwasa said.
From humble beginnings to an industry leader
Building a successful agribusiness has been a long journey for Lwasa and his team. What started as a vision to tap into the vast potential in aquaculture quickly turned into an opportunity to solve major challenges in the fish farming sector.
Lwasa said the initial years were filled with extensive research, development and inevitable losses.
“We spent about four years perfecting our processes and overcoming challenges that had driven many farmers out of the business,” he explained.
One of the key issues they had to solve was the lack of access to quality inputs, such as fingerlings and fish feed. The market was flooded with substandard products, making it difficult for farmers to achieve consistent yields.
“I remember when we first started, we were sold what we thought were high-quality fingerlings, only to realise six months later that we had unknowingly been raising frogs instead of catfish,” Lwasa said with a chuckle.
“That was a harsh lesson, but it taught us the importance of controlling every aspect of the value chain.”
He said the issue of poor-quality inputs extends beyond fingerlings to fish feed, which is a crucial component in aquaculture.
Many farmers, Lwasa said, struggle with inconsistent or nutrient-deficient feeds, leading to poor fish growth and financial losses.
“To ensure our fish had a stable and efficient diet, we used to take feeds to the laboratory for testing. We were shocked to find that while the packaging claimed 50% protein content, the actual content was sometimes as low as 10%,” Lwasa revealed.
This discovery led Masheda to establish its own feed production unit, ensuring that farmers had access to high-quality, nutrient-rich feed that met the needs of growing catfish.
“We had to innovate and create our own feeds to guarantee optimal growth, sustainability, and better market yields,” he emphasised.
By tackling these challenges head-on, Masheda has positioned itself as a leader in the aquaculture sector, offering solutions that empower both large-scale and smallholder fish farmers.
Adding value beyond just selling fish
Unlike many fish farms that focus solely on selling whole fish, Masheda Foods has taken a different approach by prioritising value addition.
Beyond financial success, Lwasa sees business as a tool for societal transformation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Masheda launched an initiative to train and employ street youth, many of whom had turned to petty crime for survival.
The programme has since trained 500 young people in pond construction, fish farming and value addition, helping them earn sustainable incomes.
“Some of them now own their own fish farms, and we even source fish from them. This initiative has not only transformed individual lives, but has also improved security and livelihoods in the communities we serve,” Norman Kakooza, the farm manager, said.
Kakooza said through its out-grower pond scheme, Masheda provides small-scale farmers with high-quality fingerlings, nutrient-rich feeds, technical training, and a guaranteed market for their fish.
By supporting community-based fish farming, Masheda is creating an inclusive and sustainable model that benefits not just the company, but the industry.
A call to youth, gov’t
Lwasa sees aquaculture as a goldmine for the young generation, given the abundant water resources.
He urged the youth to embrace the sector, highlighting the rising global demand for fish as the world shifts towards healthier white meat options.
“Young people often overlook agriculture because of outdated stereotypes, but this industry has massive potential. Aquaculture is not just about fishing; it is about innovation, business and sustainability. We are sitting on a golden opportunity and I urge youth to tap into it,” he elaborated. For the Government, he emphasised the need for better access to information.
“Many people do not realise that fish has been one of Uganda’s top three exports for over 20 years. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries should be aggressively promoting aquaculture and equipping farmers with knowledge to preserve our lakes and boost production,” Lwasa said.
He added that one of the biggest barriers to entry in aquaculture is the gap in knowledge and technical support.
“There is a lot of research being done on fish farming, but most of it never reaches the farmers,” Lwasa lamented.
He suggested that the Government should create a more accessible framework for young entrepreneurs, including easier access to financing for fish farming projects, public-private partnerships to improve fish farming inputs and training programmes and incubation hubs for aspiring aquaculture entrepreneurs.
With Uganda having the largest number of inland water bodies in Africa, the country has enormous investment opportunities in the fisheries sector, which can thrust millions of Ugandans into wealth.
While justifying the Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill in March 2021, the then ninister for agriculture, Vincent Ssempijja, said: “The fisheries sector is currently employing two million Ugandans and earning the country foreign exchange of $170m (sh629b) annually. But if it is well developed, the sector has the potential to employ 10 million Ugandans.”
LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: Former street boys turned fi sh farmers harvesting fi sh in Masheda’s ponds in Buyala on Mityana Road.
