Meet the makers of Prof Wangari's casket

By Nicholas Anyuor

When Nobel Peace Winner Prof Wangari Maathai passed on two weeks ago environmentalists and Kenyans were concerned about what kind of casket would be made for her.

Kisumu Innovation Centre members, Evans Obudo and George Otieno at their Workshop in Kibuye, Kisumu.Photo: James Keyi/Standard

George said after arrival they immediately embarked on making the coffin with the help of a carpenter.

"We worked the whole night on Thursday and by Friday morning we were left with making the four handles and the lid. We cut some of the bamboo that was in her compound to do all the work that required bamboo," says Evans.

The artisans found weaving the coffin quite challenging and they had to come up with joints they had never thought of.

To beat the deadline of Friday, they resorted to division of labour with Evans taking care of the four handles while Tom and George weaved the lid.

"By noon on Friday we had finished the work. We took the next bus for Kisumu. For the days we worked we never slept," George says.

Kisumu Innovation Centre, Kenya was started as an NGO in 1993, but later, in 2004 collapsed due to lack of funds.

It was later revived after artisans came together and bought shares to revive it as a limited company, which it operates as now.

Since it was revived about six years ago, it has attracted about 72 artisans who work there when there is an order or are allowed to look for orders and work from the KICK.

The products are not only sold in Kenya, but some are exported to the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand through their agent based in Mombassa.

They say 90 per cent of the products, made from hyacinth, bamboo, and papyrus reeds such as furniture, earrings, necklaces and papers are exported.

"When KICK does not have orders the artisans are allowed to look for any and we also have our agent in Mombassa to cater for export issues," says Agina.

"It doesn’t matter where the artisan will be doing the work from. He can even do it from his house and bring the product here. We have been operating as a family," Agina adds.

George, who was the lead artisan at Maathai’s coffin making, left fishing at Liunda beach, Bondo over ten years ago because of water hyacinth that made it difficult for him to fish in Lake Victoria.

"I then left it and came to Kisumu to look for a job and ended up using the water hyacinth to make things to earn a living,’ he says.

KICK also provides consultancy in Nyanza and it offers training on how to utilize natural resources.

Most of those who have opened up workshops in Nyanza to make furniture from natural resources graduated from KICK.