Police on the spot for aiding trade in rare tree despite ban

Eight tonnes of sandalwood were destroyed in Samburu County following a court order in a case where two suspects have been found guilty of trafficking the endangered species of the forest product valued at Sh32 million. [File, Standard]

Sandalwood harvesting was banned in Kenya in 2007 through a presidential directive to allow for regeneration.

The ban was put in place because of the exploitation of the East African species (Osyris lanceolata) which contains essential oils used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.

Different studies and research have put the price of a litre of sandalwood oil at $3,000 (Sh398,000 at the current exchange rate) in the international market.

The tree’s bark contains health benefits.

According to the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (Kefri), the species are also used locally to smoke containers used for milk fermentation and timber for handicrafts and its root powder is believed to contain medicinal value.

The institute says that the African sandalwood requires a host plant to survive and although it can be harvested at 15 years, it can take 40-60 years to mature.

“Sandalwood prefers rocky areas and is grown in association with other host species for mutual benefits,” reads part of a study conducted by Kefri in Kitui county.

The study was conducted to find out the viability of the species in the region.

Kefri said that sandalwood contributes to soil and water conservation, improves soil fertility, enriches biodiversity and enhances resilience to climate change.

The institute has since 2020 been encouraging farmers in different parts of the country to grow the species.

However, anyone interested in farming sandalwood has to acquire a licence from Kefri, Kenya Wildlife Service and Kenya Forest Services.

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) through the ENACT Project research showed that the authorities charged with the mandate of protecting the trees stand accused of engaging in its trade.

In Kenya, the species has been recorded in the Arid and Semi-Arid lands mostly in the Rift Valley and Eastern regions.

It has also been found growing in Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Burundi, Malawi, Mozambique, Algeria, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The East African species grows to a height of 1-6 metres, harvesters, however, go for the roots since they have higher concentration of oil followed by the trunk. 

To harvest the oil, the whole tree is uprooted, running the risk of the species going extinct faster which informed the advise to the president to impose its ban.

The tree has a male and a female and traffickers prefer the female one because it is believed it has more oil compared to the male species.

This, however, has not been proven yet and scientists are carrying out studies on how to reduce the maturing time of the tree.

Research by ISS showed that traffickers often engage locals, often people with access to and knowledge of the trees and their location to conduct the harvesting.

They then engage people mostly youth to carry out the work where they are paid Sh30 for every kilogramme harvested while those who have access to the forest because of their their standing in the community get Sh300 a kilo.

The traffickers reportedly work hand in hand with corrupt government officials to carry out the trade with bribery easing the movement.

In some instances, police stations have been used as storage facilities before the roots and trunks are repackaged for ease of transportation.

Ambulances and police vehicles are also alleged to be used by traffickers to move the product across checkpoints before it crosses the border to Tanzania and Uganda using illegal crossing points.

Although in Kenya the sandalwood trade is banned, Uganda and Tanzania have factories that process it for export.

Uganda for example uses the Mombasa port to export it to parts of Europe, the Arabian Gulf and Asia where the demand is high.

The presence of the factories in neighbouring countries has been cited as a stumbling block in eliminating the trade because they are used to conceal trafficked sandalwood as legal.