Outside the Ukunda showground along Diani Beach Road, men and women are busy working.
They are all quiet and only their tools can be heard hitting the wood they are carving.
Around them are beautiful carvings of different sizes, with unique designs and colours.
All are handcrafted from the remains of wood. Even though the tools they are using are not sophisticated, the final products are beautiful. The products are ideal for home and office decorations.
Benjamin Musyoka and 136 others normally display their African artwork at Millenium Handicraft store. It is the only local carving company in the region.
The company takes 35 per cent of the proceeds from each item sold as membership contribution.
The remaining 65 per cent is given to the owner who had laboured hard to carve the item.
Despite the wealth that surrounds them, the carvers have remained relatively poor.
Musyoka, a father of six who has been carving for 28 years, said there is a poor market for their products.
"This work is very hard. We produce a lot of things but we have a limited market for them," he said.
Musyoka said they can stay for days without selling a single item but they keep pushing to survive.
Most of their customers are foreigners visiting Diani. Only a few residents buy their products.
They also sell to hoteliers and beach operators who depend on high peak seasons.
Musyoka said foreigners love their products but they lack support to showcase their work locally and internationally.
"We preserve the history of various Kenyan traditions and culture through art which is key to the tourism sector," he said.
Thomas Cheni, who has been carving for more than 30 years, said they are languishing in poverty.
He said their handicraft work will soon go extinct because the majority of the carvers are now elderly.
Cheni said most young people are not eager to learn handicraft since they have grown up seeing parents not progressing.
"How can young people get interested in this kind of work knowing it's not productive?" he asked.
Philip Musembi said carving is a job that requires a lot of patience and skill, and has the potential to support livelihoods if well supported.
He said handicraft is in line with the Competency Based Curriculum and asking the government to consider employing some of them in learning institutions to transfer the knowledge to children.
Musembi said they are appealing for financial support to buy modern equipment and expand the carving business.
He said despite the many challenges, many families are still dependent on the proceeds from the handicraft work.
