‘How We Turned our Second Home into a Business’

Ms Lucy Micheni, the proprietor of the Anabas Trout & Seafood Grill located in Imenti South, Meru County. PHOTO | COURTESY

By GITONGA MARETE
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Five years ago, Kiruja Micheni and his wife Lucy aspired to build a rural home after staying in cities for close to three decades; they had lived in the UK for 17 years and in Nairobi for most of their
working life.

Their idea was a retirement home where they would retreat for holidays and spend quality time with family and friends away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

But the four-bedroom house they built brought in a business idea that has slowly blossomed into a renowned seafood restaurant and holiday destination not only for Kenyans but also for visitors from across the globe.

Driving towards Mount Kenya off Embu-Meru road some five kilometres after crossing Mutonga River, a visitor enjoys panoramic views of rolling tea farms and lush vegetation, rising to the level of over 10,000 feet above sea level.

Tucked at one of the corners past Kinoro tea factory is Anabas Trout & Seafood Grill, one of the new tourist attraction sites in Meru.

In 2015, after two years of looking for land in their Kinoro village, South Imenti, the Michenis came across a rocky patch on the banks of Mutonga River.

Lucy recalls that when they first visited the one-acre plot and expressed interest to buy it, people thought they were out of their minds.

“My husband had to endure taunts by relatives who asked him what we would use the land for. But in these rocks, we saw a gem. With beautiful views of the hills and water-falls, the atmosphere is cool and we knew it would be ideal for a retirement home,” says Lucy, adding that they have since bought more land around the area totaling to 10 acres.

But she admits that building a house in such land is quite costly since they had to invest a lot of money in landscaping and reinforcements to minimise the effects of landslides.

During holidays they would retire to the four-bedroom cottage and at times invite friends and relatives for stay overs.

Enchanted by the environment, the visitors wanted to stay on so they started renting it out when they were not on holiday.

They decided to convert their home into a business and build an eco-lodge that would attract visitors interested in a serene environment as well as adventures to Mt Kenya.

She placed the cottage with a capacity of six guests on Airbnb and it was an instant hit, attracting visitors from Europe, the US, and Australia.

A lover of trout fish, Lucy got into fish farming using the fresh water from the river and built three ponds, starting with 2,500 fingerlings in 2017 and after a year she had over 5,000 fish.

Anabas Trout & Seafood Grill located in Imenti South, Meru County. PHOTO | COURTESY