Feature: Chinese-inspired bamboo tableware gaining way into Kenyan homes

Edmond Machoki (1st R) introduces bamboo products to local people at an exhibition in Nyeri County, central Kenya, Sept. 13, 2024. (Photo by Robert Manyara/Xinhua)
NAIROBI, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) — While ceramic crockery and polycarbonate cutlery are commonly used in Kenya, eco-friendly Chinese-inspired bamboo products are gradually making their way into local homes, with more Kenyans joining the industry.
The International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR) is a Beijing-headquartered intergovernmental body dedicated to promoting the use of bamboo and rattan for sustainable development.
When INBAR experts came to Kenya to train local farmers on bamboo utilization, Edmond Machoki was among those from Nyeri County in central Kenya, who quickly seized the opportunity and benefitted from the training.
Machoki’s newfound knowledge and skills in bamboo have empowered him to deftly craft a range of items such as crockery, cutlery, and other artifacts, turning what started as a hobby into an income-generating activity.
With a diploma in biotechnology, Machoki started working with bamboo eight years ago. He was employed as a research officer at the Kenya Forestry Research Institute for two years before landing a job with a private company that deals with bamboo.
Machoki’s expertise in the plant played a defining role in the company’s decision to recruit him.
“From there, I came to learn more about bamboo through on-the-job training. In most cases, we have been trained by the Chinese either online or they visit here to train us,” Machoki told Xinhua in a recent interview.
For him, the bamboo value chain is a lucrative business from seedlings to plantation and product level.
Most of the technology used in Kenya, he said, originates from China, where bamboo has been integrated into the culture for years.
“The Chinese have played a very big role in the bamboo industry in the country and the rest of the world, being the biggest exporter of bamboo,” Machoki said.
Today, Machoki and his peers, including Josphat Muthumbi, are actively adding more bamboo crockery and cutlery to cupboards and shelves across Kenya.
However, unlike Machoki, Muthumbi lacked formal education in bamboo handling but began his involvement with the plant in 2002, driven by passion.
Muthumbi initially started by making chicken feeding troughs from the giant grass. Over time, he perfected the art of crafting a variety of items, including bamboo coin-saving cylinders, cups, cutlery holders, bamboo cutlery, cooking sticks, and knives.
Among his handmade pieces, bamboo cups stand out as the most eye-catching.
“I realized it was easy to make cups from bamboo because of its hollow nature and ability to hold liquid inside,” Muthumbi said.
He has since attracted many customers who take pride in using eco-friendly cups and has been outsourcing raw materials from bamboo farmers, providing a market for their giant grass plantation.
In the eyes of their customers Jacinta Njoki and Solomon Gitau, the use of the wooden items has greatly helped reduce pollution and conserve the environment.
“Embracing the use of wooden crockery and cutlery will greatly help in environmental conservation. They will help fight the plastic menace, which has been a big issue in Kenya and in many African countries,” Njoki said.
Gitau hailed the use of bamboo items and urged craftsmen to mass-produce them as bamboo is now readily available.
“I find them easy to clean: they are natural and devoid of harmful chemicals. Therefore, they have no known side effects when they come into contact with heat,” Gitau said.
Looking ahead, Machoki and Muthumbi aim to substitute some non-biodegradable items with bamboo alternatives.
“You can use technology to convert a hollow bamboo piece of wood mass into a thermos flask, jug or mug and that way you will be doing away with plastics,” Machoki suggested.
As the leader of a community-based organization Inter-County Self Help Group, Machoki, together with other members, has set up a bamboo seedling nursery where they propagate and sell bamboo seedlings.
To cascade the skills and knowledge gained on bamboo to others, Machoki started a project to help fellow farmers establish bamboo plantations and empower them with information on sustainable bamboo use.
“Bamboo is advantageous because it matures faster and is sustainably harvested. This is because you don’t clear-fell bamboo when you are harvesting it. You only do selective harvesting and the plantation remains there and the canopy is maintained,” Machoki said, adding bamboo has a lot of biomass in terms of regeneration.
Bamboo, said Machoki, has holes and a canopy that absorb and store water during rains. When the dry season comes, it releases the water slowly to the roots, contributing to raising the water table.
On the economic aspect, the fast-growing plant comes in handy in making timber, he explained.
“It can make up to 1,500 products which have been researched. It can make timber from which you can get floor tiles, furniture, and roofing, among others,” Machoki said. ■

Edmond Machoki is pictured at his stand with bamboo products at an exhibition in Nyeri County, central Kenya, Sept. 13, 2024. (Photo by Robert Manyara/Xinhua)