Abstract:
Fish spoilage during transit has been a major issue for tilapia sh production compa
nies, leading to signi cant losses and hindering growth while a ecting food security
by reducing the availability of high-quality sh. This study applied the Hungarian
method to optimize sh transportation in Victory Farms Limited (VF) Homa-Bay
County, with speci c objectives to evaluate the shortest, fastest, and most cost
e ective routes for distributing tilapia sh products in the Western Kenya region.
Victory Farms currently uses a random delivery approach for distributing its sh,
which results in ine ciencies and contributes to spoilage. The Hungarian method
was selected due to its ability to systematically determine the optimal match between
two sets of elements, making it particularly suitable for optimizing transportation
routes in a cost-e ective manner. Primary data on distances, travel times, and costs
between key distribution points were collected directly from Victory Farms and
used to create a cost matrix, which was analyzed using the Hungarian algorithm.
The study identi ed an optimal distribution route for all three objectives: shortest
distance, fastest transit time, and lowest cost. The optimal route was determined
as follows: KLC → Kondele → Nyalenda → Majengo → Mbale → Chavakali →
Kakamega →Mumias→Bungoma→Luanda→Siaya→KLC.Thisroutespanned
293.2 kilometers, took 351.9 minutes in transit, and incurred a cost of Ksh. 14,660.
These ndings provide valuable insights into streamlining distribution processes,
reducing spoilage, and improving operational e ciency. The results demonstrate
that Victory Farms Limited can enhance pro tability and growth by adopting the
Hungarian method for route optimization. This approach also contributes to food
security by ensuring the availability of high-quality sh. It is recommended that
Victory Farms Limited regularly implement the Hungarian method for optimizing
routes, while future research could explore integrating real-time environmental and
tra c data into the model for additional enhancements.
