Poultry Business Grows 70%, Feeding Kenyans and Helping Farmers Thrive

When Claire Njuguna started Renray in 2011, she saw an opportunity to solve a problem many poultry farmers were facing. While searching for a better way to raise her own birds, she discovered automated poultry cages and realised they were far more affordable when sourced directly from manufacturers overseas. Despite having no experience in importing, she took the risk of bringing the products into Kenya and built a business around helping farmers improve productivity.

As the business grew, new challenges emerged. "Although I had a background in marketing, I had spent my career marketing other people's businesses. Learning how to market my own business was a completely different experience," Claire says. Managing imports, finances, operations, and customer service with limited systems became increasingly difficult, and as competition entered the market, growth began to plateau.

That changed when Claire joined AMI's Grow Your Business (GYB) Programme. "I have a master's degree, but I quickly realised that theory and practical business management are two very different things," she says. The AMI programme introduced practical business tools that helped her strengthen financial management, build better systems, and delegate responsibilities across the business.

One lesson, in particular, transformed the direction of Renray: "What else does a poultry farmer need?" Instead of focusing only on selling poultry cages, Claire expanded the business into a complete poultry solutions provider, offering feeders, drinkers, automatic watering systems, and contract farming services that help farmers raise healthier birds more efficiently.

The impact has been significant. Renray's contract farming business has grown from between 3,000 and 6,000 birds annually to approximately 60,000 birds each year. Annual imports have increased from two containers to six, representing approximately 70% business growth and enabling the company to serve more poultry farmers across Kenya.

That growth has also created new employment opportunities. Today, Renray employs eight permanent staff members, equally split between women and men, while also providing internship opportunities for young people pursuing careers in agriculture. The company's expansion has generated additional work for installers, transport providers, casual labourers, and poultry equipment resellers, strengthening livelihoods across Kenya's poultry value chain.

From taking a chance on an unfamiliar opportunity to building a structured and growing agribusiness, Renray is helping farmers become more productive while creating jobs and contributing to Kenya's food security.

“One question from the AMI programme changed how I saw my business: 'What else does a poultry farmer need?' That shift helped us expand beyond poultry cages into complete poultry solutions. Today, our contract farming business has grown to around 60,000 birds annually, our imports have tripled, and we're creating more jobs while helping farmers succeed,” she says.