Wood for carving rarely originates from carving centres since most of the carving centers are in semi-arid zones of the country. At the biggest carving center called Wamuyu in eastern Kenya, carvers told this writer that they preferred hard wood because of their durability and flexibility. At this centre about 3000 of them make a living out woodcarving. But the problem with these kinds is that they take too long to mature. The wood carvers explained that ebony and mahogany might take about 80 years to effectively mature for woodcarving.
Hard woods produce beautiful carvings that are durable.
According to Nganda Muthiani, one of the longest serving carvers', carving was introduced in to the area by a colonial soldier named Mutisya Munge in 1918. At first, it was all a one mans secret affair. Indeed, it has been claimed that he did it on top of a tree at night. However, a friend of his sneaked into the abode and told the whole community. She says even though she enjoys her work, she is worried about the future of trade.