Soapstone mined in Tabaka since 1885

By Kenan Miruka

Soapstone mining and carving at Tabaka, Gucha South District has been going on since 1885.

The bedrock of soapstone spreads across a 25 square kilometre area.

The Mines And Geology Department estimated that the rock runs 800 feet deep. Experts say only 20 per cent of it has been exploited so far.

Most of the soapstone is sold as finished products in form of carvings locally and abroad.

Locally, the biggest consumers are tourists who buy the carvings as gifts for friends or for interior decoration. Malindi, Mombasa, Nyahururu, Thika and Nakuru are the main markets in Kenya.

From left: Elizabeth Nyamosi, Jane Omweri and Monchere Magara sand soapstone carvings at a society in Tabaka.

Mr Elkana Ongesa, the chairman of Kisii Soapstone Co-operative, says most carvings are exported to the European Union.

The US recently began buying raw soapstone for its local industries, although on a small scale. Since it is not degraded by heat, soapstone is used to create moulds for casting objects from soft metals.

Other export markets include Japan, New Zealand and some Asian countries.

Since the soapstone is sourced from local farms, mining and carving is often treated as a family income-generating activity.

Most families market the finished products to interested buyers individually, although some have organised themselves into groups and co-operatives.

Quarry owners hire people to dig the stone. They are, however, exploited by middlemen who buy a 40-tonne lorry load of the stone for as low as Sh2,500.

The raw stone is transported to workshops as far as 10 kilometres away for carving.