Kenya’s coastal resort of Malindi is popular with package tourists, and there is a regular demand for quality handicrafts. The Kamba people of Eastern Kenya have a traditional woodcarving culture, but for years have had to underprice and undervalue their products by selling them to beach vending middle-men. A cooperative of craftsmen has now used TTF assistance to market a retail and wholesale business, and using technology to sell to a global audience…

Kamba woodcarving is probably Kenya’s best known handicraft. The Kamba community have a strong carving tradition, and they are widely regarded as the most gifted woodworkers in the country. They have adapted traditional designs depicting demonic and supernatural figures to create wildlife designs, tribal figurines and functional items such as tables, stools, wooden spoons and chess boards and pieces.

These items are popular souvenir items, but for a long time the benefits of their sales had little impact on the Kamba community, most of whom live in some of Kenya’s most impoverished areas.

Shop owners would buy the carvings in high volumes from many individual carvers at extremely low prices, then sell them at massively marked up prices (often as much as 4000%) while other carvers had to sell their goods to independent beach vendors who would try and sell their goods directly to their tourists on the beach, bargaining to low prices and drawing claims of harassment from the tourist trade.

This kind of business was ultimately destructive to the entire Kamba carving culture, forcing down prices and devaluing the product, and stretching resources through demand for more and more wood to supply the high volume low cost sales, much of it illegally cut timber.

In 1986, a group of woodcarvers decided that the solution was to form a cooperative association and fix prices- selling both retail and wholesale at agreed rates, never undercutting each others product.

This idea quickly caught one, and membership grew to 500 skilled carvers, comprised of 80% Kamba carvers and 20% coastal carvers who received training through the cooperative. An elected management committee manages the funds and revenue systems.

However, the cooperative faced opposition from the beach vendors and especially from gift shop owners who did not want tourists to buy direct from the carvers. The cooperative needed their own shop in order to attract both retail and wholesale business, and after receiving a grant for assistance they bought a plot of land outside Malindi town.

This allowed them to build a large shop to display their goods, a large sheltered area for wood carving on site, and a storage facility for wholesale. But the premises where a 20 minute drive from the beach resorts of Malindi, in an area that was difficult for tourists to find. This meant relying on tour drivers who would only bring guests in return for a 20% commission on all sales.

As cooperative manager Edson Kaiungu explains “The only solution was marketing, we had to attract and interest the tourists and create demand for them to come here, and for that, we spoke to TTF”.

In 2004 TTF provided financial assistance to set up a complete office on site, using digital cameras and scanner to create brochures and catalogues. An initial run of 4000 catalogues and 10 000 brochures were produced and distributed to 27 local hotels and resorts.

Additionally, a website www.malindihandicrafts.org was produced and launched, with a full online catalogue and ordering information.

The results were immediate, with a sustained 43% increase in income over the next year.

So popular has the cooperative become that many safari operators now include a visit to the centre in their itineraries. An average of 60 tourists per day visit, spending an average of 800 shillings each.

The cooperative has now grown to 600 carvers, and is diversifying its product base to include drums and stone carving. The wholesale business now supplies hotels, gift shops and boutiques throughout Kenya. The cooperative is now looking towards export business, using their website as a promotional tool.

A marketing manager is now being employed to strategize the cooperatives marketing efforts, and neighbouring land is being purchased to extend the premises and build a small restaurant for visiting tourists.

The increased profits have allowed the establishment of a cooperative welfare division that provides funds for members medical emergencies and education of children.

These benefits have changed the lives of many of the carvers who are supporting their families in some of Kenya’s poorest areas. As the cooperative develops and grows it has bought about some unexpected changes to the world of woodcarving.

Ruth Kamene Mwini is the sole female member of the cooperative, and has managed to successfully penetrate this traditionally male dominated working world. She has been carving for 19 years, after she learned the art from men in her family. “I enjoy carving and selling my work to tourists. Although carving is hard work for a female, it has allowed me to bring up my child and put him through school along with all of his five children” she says.

Ruth is now training other women in how to carve, and as the cooperative maintains the value of her work and protects her income and assets, she is playing her part in crafting a new and better future for herself and her family.