• Bashir said the government will explore ways to link the artists with markets for their products both locally and internationally to avoid exploitation by middlemen.
• The PS further said the state department will establish curio malls at a central place where the artists can market their commodities.
The government is set to renovate and give Wamunyu Handcraft Centre a facelift to match its status, Culture and Heritage PS Ummi Bashir has said.
She said despite Wamunyu being renowned worldwide for its masterpiece artefacts, the centre remains in a state of neglect.
Bashir said there are plans to allocate funds in the next financial year to give the workshops and the exhibition room a facelift.
“I’m disheartened by the state of the centre, it’s in dire need of renovation. The environment in which the artists’ work is not conducive,” the PS said.
Bashir also promised that the government will explore ways to link the artists with markets for their products both locally and internationally to avoid exploitation by middlemen.
“I have noted with a lot of concern that the artists make very little money from the carvings despite working very hard while the brokers make a killing which is very unfair,” she said.
The PS further said the state department will establish curio malls at a central place where the artists can market their commodities.
“We shall also organise cultural festivals to showcase the artefacts besides marketing them digitally where each item will be allocated a USSD code,” she added.
Bashir also noted that the state department will collaborate with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to have the curios sold to tourists at the KWS gates in Donyo Sabuk and Athi River.
On raw materials, the PS said she will reach out to her counterpart in the State Department of Forests to provide seedlings to avert deforestation.
“It is important that the trees that are cut for the carvings are replaced to combat climate change,” the PS added.
She urged the artists to form a co-operative society to reap huge benefits.
Bashir spoke on Tuesday when she toured the facility. The PS was accompanied by the Director for Culture and Heritage Dr Kiprop Lagat.
Artist Lazarus Kithuka, 70, hailed the government’s plan to revamp the centre.
Kithuka who has more than 40 years experience said the art of carving that was once a source of livelihood to many residents in Wamunyu is slowly dying mainly due to lack of market.
“Although the enterprise was struggling, it took a nosedive during the Covid-19 pandemic and it has never recovered,” he said.
On average Kithuka said he makes Sh500 a day, down from Sh3,000 when business was good.
“Sometimes I make as little as Sh100 for one item which takes me about two hours to make, business is very slow,” he added.
Joseph Mutuku, the manager said the centre which was founded in 1965 has 2,056 members, with lack of market being the main challenge.
“Our members get very little returns from the carvings and if we could get market for the products it would be a great relief,” Mutuku said.
Officer in charge of Culture in Machakos Elizabeth Kyalo underscored the need to support the centre especially in terms of market linkages.
Kyalo said as part of marketing the products the county government sponsored the artists to showcase the curios in the Smithsonian Festival held in the US in 2013 and the Jamafest Festival held last year in Burundi.
“We also hold monthly curio exhibitions at the Machakos People’s Park as a way of marketing the products,” she noted.