166 The woodcarving industry in KenyaACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author thanks the World Wide Fund for Nature and the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s People and Plants Initiative
for the kind support of the study and the Center for International Forestry
Research for initiating and facilitating the comparative studies of similar cases
in the use of non-timber forest products.ENDNOTES- Kenya Forestry Research Institute, P.O Box 20412 Nairobi, Kenya.
E-mail: [email protected] - Exchange rate US$1 = Ksh80.
- Export data for Kenyan carvings show that the main destinations are
USA (47%), Japan (10%), Spain (7%), South Africa (7%), Germany (6%) and United
Kingdom (6%) (Obunga unpublished). - Brachylaena huillensis and Azadirachta indica accounted for 57.4% and
17.2% respectively of all the wood used in the industry in Kenya in the years
1998 to 2000 (Choge 2002). - The definite date of introduction of Azadirachta indica to Kenya is
unknown, but it is widely believed to have been introduced to the country by
migrant Indian workers who first settled in Kenyan Coast Province during
construction of the Kenya–Uganda Railway in the late nineteenth century. - A medium sized article measures about 15 cm to 20 cm in height.
Articles this size are the most popular and constitute 70% to 80% of the products
made by carvers. - Trade statistics and estimates made using wood consumption trends in
Malindi and Mombasa carving centres showed that on average 70% of articles
produced by members are sold outside of co-operatives.
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