Doris Kairu resigned from her job as returns clerk to rear ducks. Six years down the road, her sweat is already paying off. She runs Bukonte Farm and Cottage, which sits on 20 acres in Kayunga district. Ritah Mukasa caught up with her at Vision Group’s Harvest Money Expo 2025 and she shared her story;
Farming is, no doubt, a lucrative sector and more Ugandans embrace it by the day. This was evident at the Harvest Money Expo, which was held from February 14-16 at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole.
Thousands of people of different age groups from all walks of life and from all corners of the country attended the expo. Among the exhibitors was Doris Kairu, a mixed farmer.
Her stall had two big cages with different kinds of birds. However, what stood out were the ducks. In fact, she was among a few exhibitors with the birds, much to the surprise of many attendants who wondered if ducks had a market and, if so, where.
Kairu refers to these birds as a gold mine that never dries up. Moreover, they are easy to rear in terms of feeding and deworming.
Their multiplication (fertility) rate is also high since one female can lay up to 20 eggs and hatch them all.
In less than four years, Kairu had accumulated over 350 birds. Add to that the virgin market for the ducks’ meat and eggs.
Kairu says these birds are preferred over chicken, especially by some big families and hotels. The meat and eggs are said to be tasty and healthy.
She says some Indian and Chinese restaurants and hotels prepare duck meat. Aside from the taste and health benefits, this meat expands, making it more filling.
Where you would normally need four chickens to serve your guests, two ducks would be enough. The same goes for duck eggs; where you would use four chicken eggs, just two duck eggs will do the job.
When it comes to the local market, Kairu says, it is virgin and needs many large-scale farmers to satisfy.
For example, just one busy hotel might need five birds or more daily. So, imagine you are supplying five hotels daily.
Remember, big birds go for sh35,000 upwards.
Kairu says she sold over 150 birds to families alone last Christmas.
She adds that three hotels placed orders, but she turned them down because what she had could not last even three months yet they wanted her to supply daily for the whole year.
“The orders were overwhelming. People kept notifying others and before I knew it, 150 birds had been bought for home consumption. We are now working towards multiplying again,” she says.
If all goes according to plan, Kairu wants to grow her farm to over 10,000 birds in two years such that she can ably supply to hotels, homes and for export as well. But the local ducks aside, Kairu also rears geese, which are larger than ducks.
They have longer necks and are more aggressive. She sells a pair; male and female at sh300,000.
She says the geese are also on market and in Uganda, they are preferred for their security benefits, being guard animals. They will ward off strangers and kill predators such as foxes and snakes. How? They can easily detect foreign sounds and attack the enemy.
Additionally, some people enjoy the meat, liver and eggs. And the feathers are used in decorations. Therefore, if for some reason, you cannot rear ducks, consider keeping geese. They will give you some money.
How to care for ducks
Much as ducks are lucrative, Kairu says, rearing them does not come easy, a reason many people shun them.
First of all, they are known to be ‘dirty’ birds because they poo anywhere anytime, filling the compound with droppings.
It is even worse when it comes to mothering. They are among the worst parents. Kairu points out that ducks never care for their young (ducklings).
“A duck can hatch 18 ducklings, but only four or less will survive, which is a big loss to the farmer,” she says.
Besides, these birds thrive where there is water and space. They love flying and spreading out their wings. Confining them in a small space affects them. To overcome all those challenges, Kairu advises rearing ducks in a free-range system.
Allow them to move and fly freely. Also, provide a small pool or pond where they can swim and in the end, lay more eggs.
“The droppings can irritate, but they also depend on what you feed the birds on. Don’t allow them to eat in dirty places least they get diarrhoea-like droppings which also stink,” she says.
“I feed mine on maize bran and food remains.”
Always deworm them as well. You also have to protect the ducklings from harm by enclosing them in a fence. More to that, ensure to separate the ducks from other birds.
Kairu says, ducks harbour or hide diseases and can transmit them to other birds.
How she got into farming
For several years, Kairu worked as a returns clerk with Movit Company. In 2018, she enrolled for a master’s degree in development studies.
In her research, she explored the benefits of quail birds and how she could add value to their products and earn.
Her findings motivated her to venture into rearing those birds.
Kairu made a cage at her home in Lubowa, a suburb of Kampala and bought a few birds. Before she knew it, the birds had multiplied at an overwhelming rate.
She expanded the cage and resigned from her job to concentrate on her farm.
Kairu also started selling the eggs while saving to buy land.
A year later, using proceeds from the farm and her savings, she bought 20 acres of land in Kayunga district, where Bukonte farm is located.
Given the big space she had, Kairu decided to venture into other birds, adding ducks and geese. Asked why she choose ducks, Kairu says some of the clients she received also asked for ducks.
“I saw that as an opportunity. I researched and realised that ducks are easy to rear. I started with four and they multiplied,” Kairu says.
Aside from the ducks, she rears local chickens and rabbits.
She also does fish farming, mushroom growing and urban gardening. At her farm, Kairu also grows pineapples, cassava, sweet potatoes and matooke.
On top of that, she adds value to her products and offers training in making soap, confectioneries, herbal juices and medicines.
“We are saving towards expanding into a fully-fledged processing plant. Then, we start exporting,” Kairu says.
LEAD PHOTO CAPTIO: Doris Kairu has mastered the art of rearing ducks. She stepped into poultry farming while doing her master’s degree. (Photo by Ritah Mukasa)
