Baringo turns mathenge pain into charcoal, furniture gain

Wind easily whips up a dust storm under the scorching sun, which has hit 34 degrees Celsius.

The lively hue is due to the mathenge tree, scientifically known as Proposis Juflora.

It exudes a rich jungle-green colour that stands in stark contrast to the parched environment. 

Its greening effect disguises the tree's toxic potential to harm humans and livestock. But drought is driving locals to exploit it for a living.

Susan Wangeci* (not her real name) walks from the far end, carrying firewood for burning charcoal. Having lived in the area for more than two years, she says the mathenge tree came in handy.

“We have not had proper rains for like two years. So what can people eat? How can they survive?” she asks.

Wangeci, who has three children, says with weather patterns shifting, she and other women had no choice but to make do with the resources available.

"We had to cut the mathenge tree despite a warning from the government," she says.

The government in 2017 banned logging in public forests, which included areas colonised by the Juflora tree.

The ban did not have specifics on how to handle the wide-spreading mathenge tree in the arid and semi-arid areas.

“Yes, there was a ban, but we also have to survive in this area. Look at the dusty area. Where do you think we can get food?” Wangeci says.

She says they have reaped big from the wood they get from it.

“It has helped in constructing houses and even classrooms in these areas, getting firewood and charcoal,” Wangeci says.

“Basically, it has not only provided shelter to us living in these desert areas but has also become like a source of energy for us.”

It has helped us in constructing houses and classrooms, getting firewood and charcoal. Basically providing shelter to us and becoming a source of energy

BENEFICIAL BUT DANGEROUS

Wangeci, 34, says eight months ago when she was pregnant she wondered what she could do to ensure that her unborn baby was well-catered for.

“So I decided that in as much the sun was scorching hot, I had to at least make my baby a baby cot. I have always had people talking about children's beds, so I wanted one,” she says.

She then talked to her husband, who suggested that they use the mathenge tree to make something nice.

“So we made the baby’s cot and went ahead to make furniture out of the mathenge tree. Anything to do with furniture and shelter is all catered for here. Now what we need is food,” she says as houseflies hover around her nose and mouth.

She says they sell the charcoal and the furniture to the community.

The charcoal goes for Sh400 a sack, while furniture depends on what someone wants.

“Charcoal selling helps us feed our families, pay school fees for my children and cook with it. The good thing about all this is that we don’t have to beg for money. With the drought, we have to take all the chances and make sure that we live,” she says.

In as much as she praises the mathenge tree, she says it has also caused havoc on the animals.

“It has thorns that can leave one paralysed, but we try to ensure that the tree is not within our tiny compound,” she says.

In the next village, Joy Lorupe* says she has always been taught about the benefits of the mathenge tree by her parents.

“We started using the mathenge tree in 2005 for logs for construction, benches and firewood and charcoal. By that time, the tree was growing in the forest,” she says.

Lorupe, who is a bit shy to talk to us, says they used to go fetching firewood without necessarily being told to cut down the mathenge tree.

“So we used to come back home with a variety of trees that we had cut for the firewood, which was in turn used as charcoal and also just the normal firewood,” she says.

So after about six years, the weather patterns started shifting, leaving her family worried.

“Food was starting to become scarce, including wild fruits. So then, we saw a tree that was green despite drought and cold weather. The tree stood tall and its leaves were always green,” she says.

“Firstly we did not know what it was, but what we know is that we used to play with it when we were young.”

But in 2014, the community got more insights into the mathenge tree just from hearing stories.

“We are not sure how our parents got wind of the tree, but they came and told us that we could cut the mathenge tree and burn charcoal using it,” she says.

She says that with the dusty terrain, the mathenge tree has also acted as a wind barrier.

“It is very dusty but then the fact that there are trees has at least spared us from having the strong winds carry our roofs,” Lorupe says.

I am unhappy that many people cut the trees and burn charcoal and take sacks of charcoal to Nakuru. We can have alternatives like planting acacia trees or rearing goats.

BEST AVOIDED

Central Rift climate change champion Christine Yegon is, however, discouraging the community from cutting trees.

"We can have alternatives like planting acacia trees or rearing goats,” she says.

“I am unhappy that many people cut trees and burn charcoal and take sacks of charcoal to Nakuru. This can be avoided. Let’s plant trees and discourage the cutting of mathenge.”

She admits that with climate change, sources of livelihood have been limited.

“We should teach our people to plant more trees during rainy seasons. This then breeds a better future even with climate change,” she says.

But Alex Wanjohi, 36, says they cannot avoid the mathenge tree.

It has covered about 30km and more than five hectares, and thus they must find a use for it, he says.

“The community here has exploited all ways of usage for the trees. mathenge has spread to Turkana and the seeds are mostly scattered around by animals after excreting what they eat,” he says.

He says the tree is drought-resistant and can be used as a shade for both humans and animals.

The government should thus help the community learn how to handle the Juflora tree, he says.

“These trees are beneficial and I urge that we get trainings on how to deal with the challenges we face. The thorns can leave one paralysed and you do not want to see your family struggling,” he says.

“We just cut the tree to help our women make charcoal out of it, but we do not know how to manage the tree. How can we get the best charcoal quality out of this?” 

Wanjohi says the tree has become a solution to the persistent climate change and they do not want it to diminish.

He says with the changing weather patterns, wells and rivers have dried up, but the tree has remained strong and is instead spreading rapidly and sustaining their livelihoods.

“Before, we used acacia, which was illegal, so the mathenge trees have been a solution,” he says.

“They have also changed the scenery. It looks greener. I urge the government to allow us to use the trees.”

GOVERNMENT STRATEGY

Forestry PS Ephantus Kimotho told the Star they are soon launching a strategy on the mathenge tree in Baringo.

"We know it is a menace and we will ensure that we deal with it for sustainability in the region, such as in Baringo and Turkana," he says.

Kimotho says in the strategy, they have physical removal of the mathenge tree, biological removal and through usage.

"For physical, we can resort to uprooting the tree and removing it entirely or using insects that can feed on the mathenge tree seeds as part of the biological removal," he says.

On usage, he says that in the strategy, they will be allowing the community to burn charcoal from the mathenge tree.

"But they can only burn the mathenge tree and nothing else. And for you to burn it, you must be a member of an association. This is the only way we can control charcoal burning," he says.

Kimotho says after the trees are cut and burnt, the government will then replace them with acacia.

According to the World Agroforestry Report 2018, most landowners who source wood for charcoal did not carry out any kind of tree management.

It also showed that charcoal producers used traditional earth mound kilns, which produce low yields, result in wood waste and result in cutting more trees down than necessary.

An elder from the community, Jeremiah Leremia, says the tree has opened opportunities for women.

“There are young women and men who have used the mathenge tree to make different artefacts,” he says.

“So if they find them growing in their shambas, they fell them early enough. Right now, none of us in this area buy fencing wires, we use mathenge.”

Sitting at his hut in Loropoli, Leremia says the leaders at the schemes have a mandate to care for the trees.

“But no one has been tasked to manage the trees. Climate change will not change any time soon, so this should be done even if it is given to 'Kazi ya vijana' so they fell them from roads before they mature and block them,” he says.

“They blame floods on mathenge trees, which block rivers. They also say their roots can change the course of a river, but no scientific proof shows this is true.”

He urged the county government to set a budget to manage the trees and reach out to youth forums for collaboration. 

“Mathenge can be managed and put to good use if we come up with a good strategy. The trees are not a cause for a crisis. It's just that we have not been able to tame them yet,” Leremia says.

He says the community is not at a point where they can plant the trees as they grow on their own.

“But they require management, which includes utilisation. If left unused, they will spread to the shambas,” he says.

“If we had trainings from experts who have researched on the trees, we can really benefit a lot, even with issues of carbon sequestration.”

Carbon sequestration is one method of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere with the goal of reducing climate change.

According to Kenya Forestry Research Institute, Prosopis, like any other tree, has the potential for climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration.

African Wildlife Foundation country director Nancy Githaiga says training the community on how to manage the mathenge tree should be done at the county level.

“The county should do energy plans and get to understand what efforts could be put in place to ensure the women or the community have sufficient energy,” she says.

Githaiga says the introduction of the mathenge tree was good, but many people demonise it.

“We have to find a way to optimise its uses to benefit the region. Women have not been on the forefront of this because majorly they just collect firewood,” she says.

“But there has not been a deliberate effort to manage the tree. If the wood can be converted to charcoal and better kilns used to produce better charcoal, then we can do better.”