Jane Mutinda

Impact of the Handicraft Industry on the Environment: Study of Katangi and Wamunyu Locations, Mwala District, Kenya Jane Mutinda

In Kenya, communities have since time immemorial practised indigenous technologies such as woodcarving and basket weaving. The consequence is that, with the increasing need for environmental management in Kenya, indigenous technologies such as these have come under scrutiny with a view to harmonizing them with the principles of ecological regeneration. In Wamunyu and Katangi areas of Mwala District, the community has taken up wood carving and basket weaving as a commercial venture to supplement their income without much concern on the impact of their activities on the environment. The book focuses on woodcarving and basket weaving handicrafts among the Kamba community in Wamunyu and Katangi locations of Mwala District of former Machakos District in Kenya. The findings suggest a need for both woodcarvers and basket weavers to carry out their trade in a sustainable way, afforestation and reforestation programmes and, as relates to leftovers from the respective crafts, adaptation of good waste management practices.