Indigenous women groups in Laikipia North sub-county are making a fortune through Aloe vera farming.

Land ownership has been a challenge and especially for the pastoral community even as the women grapple to make a living from the medicinal herb.

However, the enactment of Community Land Act of 2016, has seen majority of women included in land registers, which Ilpolei Twala Cultural Manyatta Women group director Rosemary Nenini applauds.

“Earlier, they would say if your husband is a community member, he would tag you along, which severely affected women, especially the widows. Now we are fully members of community land,” says Nenini.

She reveals that, after the land transition from ranches to community land, they have been able to engage in income generating activities such as  aloe vera farming for export.

“ After the enactment of Community Land Act group ranches were turned into community land and this has really helped because all women’s names appear in the land registers unlike before. I tell men, we are not going anywhere with the land, it will still remain to be community land and all people will benefit,” notes Nenini.

Aloe vera  Medicinal value.

She reveals that, after acquiring community land, majority of women from Laikipia North have benefited. 203 from Ilpolei Twala Cultural Manyatta Women group are direct beneficiaries of Aloe vera farming at Ilpolei.

“We grow Aloe vera, which is indigenous and has medicinal value. Right now, our Aloe is generating a lot of income for Twala women because we sell raw leaves to Lush Cosmetics, a UK based company,” she reveals.

“Aloe vera is a succulent plant known for its medicinal value. For instance, the sap can be applied on fresh wounds,  it is used as an ingredient or raw material to produce several products, especially for the skin,” she says.

Nenini says before securing an export market for their Aloe vera in 2013, they used to do barter trade with their husbands, 12 Aloe vera roots for a goat. Men used the roots to make local brews mixed with honey, popularly known as “muratina.”

“Before, its roots were used by Maasai men to make traditional brew, but Laikipia permaculture trained us on how to do grow the crop and linked us with Lush Cosmetic in the UK,” revealed Nenini, who however, decries that after the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, export of the commodity declined.

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She says, a kilogramme of Aloe vera retails at between Sh380 to Sh400 in the UK.

The 38-year-old adds that they have partnered with other women groups such as Munipicha, Nalepo Majooli, Melau, Nositua and Naserian, where they work together at the Ilpolei Twala Cultural Manyatta Women group.

She proudly says, with their partnership, they have been able to attract women from other areas who visit their farm to learn.

“I am very proud that Twala is coming up as a learning centre, women are coming to learn here on how we have succeeded as women, and how to acquire land,” notes Nenini.

Land registration

Eunice Kaparo,  a member of Ilpolei Twala Cultural Manyatta Women group members says with land ownership, she has been able to practice passion fruit farming at her home.

Laikipia, which is among the 24 counties inhabited by indigenous communities, leads in community land registration for groups like Musul, Ilngwesi, Maiyanat, Lekuruki and Shulmai among others.

Ilpolei Twala Cultural Manyatta Women group which sits on a forty-acre piece of land is composed of two community lands, that is Mulichui and Illpolei.

40 acres aloe vera farm

Over the years, the women have transformed the community through local tourism by promoting positive attributes of the Maasai culture.

Their work was recognised, earning them 40 acres of land donated to them by Il Polei and Monoshoi ranches, where they later put up the cultural centre.

The centre has solar-powered accommodation facilities for visitors and a modern conference facility that can host 300 guests.

Ms Rosemary Nenini, the group’s manager, says the women have divided themselves into six subgroups of about 30 members each, where they take up different roles.

“They entertain visitors, teach them about the Maasai culture, make and sell ornamental beads and other traditional artefacts,” she says.

Ms Nenini adds that the group has started other income generating activities such as bee-keeping and growing of Aloe Vera plants used in making cosmetics.

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“We received a donation of 100 beehives from the African Conservation Centre (ACC) and on average, we harvest 1,000kgs of honey twice a year and sell locally,” Ms Nenini says.

“A cosmetics manufacturing company in the UK expressed interest in the Aloe plant products we produce and now buys the raw materials directly from us,” she says.

The group’s chairlady, Ms Cecilia Ekere, says they subdivide their dividends twice a year to enable them sustain their families.

Attached ;
Caption: Members of Twala women group showcase some of the beads they produce. The group of 203 Maasai women has ventured in an ecotourism activity that has immensely improved the local economy, an activity that has been envied by their male counterparts in the community. They set up Twala Tenebo Cultural Center at Il Polei trading centre in Laikipia North Sub County. PHOTOS BY JAMES MURIMI/NATION.

Pay school fees

“Our women have stopped reliance on their husbands for financial boost. This humble initiative has enabled us to comfortably pay school fees for our children and buy livestock to substitute our income,” she says.

“This was not the case before we started this group since majority of Maasai women are not economically empowered.

Recently, Ecotourism Kenya (EK) trained the women on how to precipitate their efforts of promoting local tourism through cultural exchange and environmental conservation.

EK Chief Executive Officer Grace Nderitu, says the one-week training, which was held at the cultural centre, was meant to enlighten residents to understand the benefits that can be accrued through local tourism.

Hospitality industry

Ms Nderitu adds that involvement of the local community is crucial in boosting local tourism.

EK, in partnership with World Vision, trained the group on hospitality industry.

“We have encouraged the women to take tourism as a business venture so as to realise economic growth at the grassroots. Most of them have managed to get employment from this cultural centre in terms of products and services they are selling. This is encouraging,” notes Ms Nderitu.

Ms Nderitu says training would immensely empower the group to run the facility as a sustainable tourist outfit.

Camping experience

The group’s vice chairperson, Magdalene Pois, acknowledges that the training was timely and would enable them run the facility professionally and smoothly.

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So far, the Twala Women Group have entered into business partnership with Beisa Hotel based in Nanyuki, to ensure visitors enjoy the getaway and camping experience at the centre.

“This training has empowered us to handle more visitors at the centre and are now looking forward to attracting more tourists for culture nights events in future,” says Ms Pois.

Beisa Hotel director Gilbert Mutembei says the partnership has enhanced mutual benefit since the centre benefits from visitors recommended to it, while the hotel has an avenue for out-of-town experience for its guests.

World Vision Laikipia branch manager Simon Mbuki says his organisation is keen in supporting communities, especially women’s organisations at the grassroots engage in income generating activities for sustainable livelihood.

Credit: By Kenya News Agency & By James Murimi

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