CEO's Foreword - Safaricom

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CEO’s Foreword 

On behalf of the Safaricom family I’d like to welcome you to the ‘Eco- 

Art: Zebra in the Red Heels Exhibition’. This will be the first exhibition 

to be featured at the Michael Joseph Centre (MJC) this year. 

This exhibition’s objective is to showcase and promote the symbol of the 

“Zebra in the Red Heels” where art and conservation of the environment 

can be merged and portrayed as one. In essence, help fuse the artist and 

conservationist in us. We hope that hosting this exhibition at Safaricom 

will create a bigger impact and harness more environmental awareness 

within the corporate world and the community as a whole. 

The exhibition aims to use art as a corporate “badge” indicating a 

company’s involvement in helping the environment thus promoting 

both the artists and the environment. We envision individuals and 

companies purchasing and displaying art pieces that acknowledge 

their environmental contribution and thus buy art for the sake of the 

environment. 

Bella MATATA Consultancy conceived the idea of Zebra in the Red 

Heels - together with other artists they were able to create exquisite art 

pieces around this theme. These artists include painters, weavers, glass 

and flip-flop sculptors, and jua-kali artisans. Bella MATATA has been 

hosting art exhibitions to promote tree-planting projects across East 

Africa for the past 6 years. 

A unique feature of Zebra in the Red Heels Exhibition will be the 

incorporation of Safaricom and other partners who will mobilize 

resources for tree planting projects after the exhibition. Our pledge as 

Safaricom is for every art piece sold at this exhibition, we will plant 100 

trees. I am proud to note as well that for each piece sold, the artistes have 

pledged 10% of the proceeds towards planting trees. 

Our hope is that more individuals and companies will join in and pledge 

towards this initiative. 

Safaricom values and supports the unique contribution these artists 

have made to the conservation of Kenya’s threatened environment. 

Zebra in the Red Heels is a collection of striking artistic works from 

different artists who draw their inspiration from the environment and 

techniques that use recycled materials to produce the pieces to tell the 

stories in contemporary forms. 

We hope you will enjoy and appreciate the creative ‘green art’ concept 

designs used in this exhibition. 

Bob Collymore, 

CEO

The Michael Joseph Centre 

“Understanding art is understanding our world and promoting art is 

building a better world.” 

The Michael Joseph Centre opened its doors in May 2010 as one of 

Safaricom’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, in supporting 

the arts and preserving our local culture. 

Our mission is to offer a platform for local artists of all genres and the 

immediate community to communicate through events and exhibitions. 

Through the Centre, Safaricom provides a space where this local creative 

talent is nurtured, showcased and supported. 

The Michael Joseph Centre has carved its niche in the art scene by 

initiating a selection of events and exhibitions that promote artists of 

all disciplines. In addition, the Centre has been able to form long lasting 

relationships with not only other art-supporting institutions, but also 

with corporate partners by graciously hosting events such as visual art 

exhibitions, music concerts, theatrical plays, student visits, workshops, 

product launches, forums and campaigns. 

The Centre comprises of four functional areas: 

1. The CSR Space which is home to the permanent Spirit of Sharing 

Exhibition. It is here that Safaricom’s Corporate Social Responsibility 

activities through both Safaricom Limited and Safaricom Foundation 

are showcased. 

2. The Art Event and Exhibition Space hosts a number of 

temporary events and exhibitions that run at any given time. In the past, 

we have hosted exhibitions and events that promote and engage lovers 

of music, fashion, animation, performance. 

Since the MJC opened its doors in 2010, we have had 6 exhibitions 

which have captured a diverse range of the world of arts and culture. 

They are: 

• Islands of Creativity 

• Style it Hot 

• Shujaaz FM 

• 10 Years of Safaricom Exhibition 

• The VITI Exhibition 

• Alter Ego Exhibition 

In June, 2011 we launched Project Sanaa. Some children never realise 

their natural artistic ability as they do not have an opportunity to 

explore and exploit their talents. Safaricom’s Project Sanaa (“sanaa” 

means “arts” in Kiswahili) is designed to enhance the skills of artistically 

inclined children who are less privileged. The art classes are held every 

two Saturdays of the month. 

3. Experience Centre: The Technology Space Exhibition takes you 

on a journey of the evolution of mobile telephony. Within this space, 

you are exposed to some of the latest products and services offered by 

Safaricom e.g. Phones, Technology, etc. 

4. TelePrescence Room: The TelePresence Room uses the 

TelePresence solution to enable users to connect with colleagues, 

customers and partners across many locations in a way that makes the 

meeting participants feel like they are in the same room. 

Some of the key benefits include: 

• Reducing travel and entertainment costs 

• Increasing employee productivity time 

• Promoting “green behaviour” by reducing carbon emissions 

Location and Hours 

The Michael Joseph Centre is located on the ground floor of the 

Safaricom HQ2 Building located next to the Aga Khan High School 

off Waiyaki Way. Operational hours are Monday through Friday from 

9:00am. to 5:00pm. and Saturdays 9.00am to 1.00pm. It is closed on 

Sundays and public holidays. The Centre is open to the general public. 

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Imagine. 

Imagine a world with no trees. 

Imagine a world with no beauty. 

Imagine a world where we could not breathe. 

Imagine a world with no you, no me. 

Art, since time immemorial has been used to communicate different 

ideas, campaign for different causes and created awareness around 

various issues. 

In this exhibition, Eco-Art in a general sense is the art that helps 

improve our relationship with the natural world. It is where we get to 

use creativity to expand consciousness in society for a more healthy 

ecology. 

Imagining a world without trees is imagining a world that is 

uninhabitable. The uses of trees are countless. Shade, shelter, protection, 

medicine, oxygen supply, roots for stability, nutrition and more 

importantly to help curb the current issue of global warming. 

It may seem like a long journey but like every “journey of a thousand 

miles, starts with a single step!” 

Let’s take a stand today! Help protect and conserve the environment we 

live in. 

Introduction

Zebra in the Red Heels 

Kenya Wildlife is just all that 

Pink, stripy, spotty and great 

Where in the world do you find such jovial beasts 

They really do deserve a crown…they deserve, 

wings, bling or even red things. 

Infact they deserve it all. 

But what they really need is trees, 

So for every artwork sold, Safaricom promises to 

plant 100 trees.. 

The Zebra in the Red Heels poems and exhibitions have largely been 

influenced by the Dr Seuss books, which told meaningful stories using 

wacky animals. 

The first exhibition by Bella MATATA, featured King Elephants in 

Crowns, Princess Pink Flamingos, spotted Giraffes wearing ‘bling’ and 

of course the Zebras in the Red Heels. Over time, the other characters 

have branched off to “do their own things”, the crowned elephants now 

promote the use of the African honey bee as a crop raiding, elephant 

deterrent in remote farm areas, and they have their own “show” called 

the “the Truth about Bees and Elephants”. 

The Lady Giraffe in bling exhibits herself in Giraffe Manor raising 

awareness for the urban living Rothschild giraffes and the Princess 

Flamingos adorn many a dream of a young child. 

The Zebras in the Red Heels, then became the symbolic ambassadors 

for the Bella MATATA tree planting exhibitions which have thus far 

been held in Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, South Africa, Switzerland 

and the United Kingdom, over the past 6 years. For every Zebra in the 

Red Heels art piece sold, Bella MATATA planted 5 trees with forestry 

company, Africa Forest. Safaricom has partnered with Bella MATATA 

and together with their sexy, sassy Zebra are initiating a movement to 

take the concept to a new level, involving 12 artists and pledging to plant 

trees for every artwork sold. 

Art is a fantastic medium to promote environmental issues as it is not 

restrictive - this freedom allows for artists to indulge in passions that 

they believe in. Art is very much about the story behind the work, the 

passion that drives the creativity, and what better issue to be passionate 

about, than the environment in which we create our art. You can also 

play your part by buying a piece of art that reminds you that you 

contributed to the planting of trees through the purchase of an exquisite 

art piece. 

Should you want to be part of this movement kindly find a pledge form 

at the back of our catalogue and be part of this journey. 

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Kenya’s Role in Conservation 

Before any discussion on forest cover, one needs to define what a ‘forest’ 

is. There is a range of global definitions from 10% tree cover (FAO) to 

40% (UNEP) to 70% (dense closed canopy forest, e.g. rainforest). The 

commonly quoted figure for Kenya of 1.7% forest cover (0.98 million 

hectares) taken from a UNEP survey released in 2001, refers to a 

minimum of 40% tree cover in gazetted forest reserves. As such, the 

quoted number does not include forests on private land, trust land or 

local authority forests. 

Whilst there have been many tree planting initiatives in Kenya, there is 

still a long way to go. A lot more needs to be done; to achieve 10% forest 

cover, we need to plant approximately 4.5 million hectares, which is an 

area more than ten times the size of the Mau complex. At 1,600 trees 

a hectare, that makes 7.2 billion trees, nearly 200 trees for every man, 

woman and child in Kenya, or 600 for every registered voter! 

One of the challenges with current tree planting initiatives is the 

aftercare. A tree needs to be tended to, maintained and watered, for at 

least the first three years of its life, otherwise it is likely to either grow 

very slowly, or die. It is of paramount importance that anyone planning 

to plant a tree bears this in mind and factors it into their costs. It is better 

to plant just one tree and really look after it, than to plant 10 and they 

all die! 

The 2005 Forest Act was a big step forward in Kenya, which created: 

The Kenya Forest Service 

Introduction of new innovations, most notable that of ‘Participatory 

Forest Management’ (PFM) whereby the importance of the communities 

surrounding the forest and their involvement in the management of the 

Forest has been identified and acknowledged, leading to the creation of 

Community Forest Associations (CFA’s.) 

Many of these types of associations have now been formed and this 

promises a new era in the management of forest resources. Bearing in 

mind the need for 4.5 million hectares of tree cover, one of the most 

promising areas to achieve this in, is farm forestry, or tree planting 

within private shambas. The Ministry of Agriculture issued the Farm 

Forestry Rules in 2009. This states that all agricultural land must have 

10% forest cover so as to help mitigate global warming, soak up pollution 

and dust from the air and build natural habitats and ecosystems. This is 

an excellent piece of legislation, as it will actually assist rural families by 

reducing time spent collecting firewood, assist in reducing soil erosion 

and improve soil fertility if the right trees are planted. 

The new constitution has enshrined that “the state will work to achieve 

and maintain a tree cover of at least ten percent of the land area of 

Kenya.” It has not specified a deadline for this, but 10% forest cover is 

also part of the Kenya Vision 2030 pledge.

A Billion Trees for Kenya 

The world is facing a global crisis that requires its citizens to pay 

attention and take action. Planting and growing trees is easy. Everybody 

can plant trees, young and old, rich and poor, rural and urban, but we 

need to act fast. If every Global citizen could plant 150 trees between 

now and 2020, this would add up to a trillion trees. In the last six years, 

the Billion Tree Campaign has planted 12.6 billion trees. 

In 2006, the UNEP launched the Billion Tree Campaign, where the late 

Professor Wangari Maathai; or Mama Miti as she was fondly called, 

and H.S.H Prince Albert II of Monaco were appointed as the Patrons 

of the campaign. It seemed like a monumental task then, but very soon, 

Kenya took on the challenge and this was a proud moment for Wangari 

Maathai, as Kenya would now contribute towards the Billion Tree 

Campaign 

Kenyans and the world remember and admire Mama Miti for her 

courage, dedication and devotion to growing forests. Her vision to 

grow forests using a community based approach and to mitigate against 

nature resource depletion and climate change have become rallying 

calls in Kenya and globally. 

About Plant-for-the-Planet 

On 7 December 2011 UNEP handed over the mandate of the Billion 

Tree Campaign to the Plant for the Planet Foundation. The Foundation 

is now in-charge of managing all aspects of the campaign with UNEP 

and the Founding partners remaining on the advisory council. 

The Plant-for-the-Planet Children Initiative was founded in January 

2007 and originated in a school report on the climate crisis by Felix 

Finkbeiner, President of the Global Board of the Plant for the Planet 

Foundation, who was 9 years old at that time. At the end of his 

presentation, Felix put forward the vision that children could plant one 

million trees in every country in the world to balance carbon emissions. 

In the years that followed, Plant-for-the-Planet evolved into a global 

movement. Today, some 100,000 children in 101 countries are 

committed to its goal. The movement understands its role as being an 

initiative of world citizens who are committed to climate justice in the 

sense of achieving an overall reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and 

a unified distribution of these emissions among all of humankind. 

In March 2011, the new Global Board was elected. It consists of 14 

children from 8 countries. The term of office is one year, no re-election 

possible. The next election date is April 20th, 2012. The worldwide 

communication campaign of the children initiative is headed “Stop 

talking. Start planting” and was awarded with the Social Effie in gold for 

efficient communication in 2010. 

Plant-for-the-Planet is supported through the Global Marshall Plan 

Foundation, the AVINA Stiftung, the Club of Rome and Leagas Delaney 

Hamburg. Partners like Toyota, Develey Senf & Feinkost, FedEx, Hess 

Natur, L’Oréal Professionnel, Lehmann Natur and Starmix Academies. 

One of the countries to attain the one million trees goal is Germany 

which did this on May 4th 2010 – the children in Germany continue to 

plant trees. 

By December 2011, the Billion Tree Campaign registered over 12 billion 

trees planted by participants across all 193 United Nations Member States. 

For this and more information on this and other initiatives log on to 

www.plant-for-the-planet.org. 

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TOTAL ECO Challenge 

A Campaign for the People of the People 

The “Total Eco Challenge” is an initiative that has been running in 

Kenya for the past ten years. It engages every man, woman and child 

in Kenya in the country’s biggest-ever tree-planting initiative. The Total 

Eco Challenge has set a planting target of 100 million trees per year. 

Every year, this initiative calls on the public themselves to take direct 

action and backs that call with practical help. Every Total station has 

become a tree centre for information and seedling supply. 

Some of the Eco Challenge’s direct input in community projects include: 

• National promotion and multi-media public education campaigns 

• Production and distribution of information materials 

• Direct technical support for projects through a full-time forester 

• Matching corporate funding to community needs 

• Support for tree / seedling nurseries, 

• An awards system which includes the appointment of Trees 

Ambassadors 

The programme is exploring the possibility of establishing seed 

banks. Total has been using television, radio and the national 

press, to disseminate information on, how to collect and propagate 

seeds, how to plant better and nurture faster tree growth, the 

best locations to grow trees and special qualities of different tree 

species. Total also brings together economically challenged rural 

communities who have the will and the land, but not the money for 

major tree-planting, as well the as city corporations who have the 

financial resources, but not the manpower. 

Their overall message has been on the value of trees, and all 

action has been aimed at stimulating real market forces that will 

create independent and sustainable capacities. Communities and 

institutions have registered more than 5000 Total Eco Challenge 

projects, and by the seventh year had planted more than 100 

million trees. These projects cut across different economic and 

geographical zones, in town and in the countryside, in school 

grounds and industrial factory yards, around dams and along rivers, 

between crops and along fence lines and even in desert locations. 

Additionally, the groups involved have been very diverse ranging 

from individuals to arms of the government such as the Kenya 

Armed Forces. 

However, there is still room for growth. This is an initiative that 

bears no political agenda or linkage, it is entirely voluntary, and 

although the Eco Challenge brings input and focus, each registered 

project is independently managed and owned. 

Safaricom was awarded the Champion of Champions Award at the 

2011 Total Eco Challenge Awards.

Fun facts on trees 

Rare, unique and endangered species 

Is Kenya a “green” desert? Are we aware that Kenya has over 2,000 plant species and we as Kenyans use an average of 10 plant species in most of our 

lifetimes? Displayed here are some of our very own, unique and endangered species that we should cherish and protect. 

As you will discover, these plants touch on some of the key elements of human life; health, nutrition, energy and ecological infrastructure. 

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Bridelia micrantha 

Bridelia 

A semi-deciducous tree, with tiny light yellow 

flowers and dark glossy black fruit, up to 

12m tall in Kenya, 20m in other areas of sub- 

Saharan-African, where it is wide-spread, from 

0 to 2,200m. It mostly grows in riverine forest, 

swamp forests and forest edge; it has good 

potential for reforestation of river reserves, 

as it has a binding root structure, and is fast 

growing. Bridelia’s excellent hardwood timber 

has resulted in over exploitation of the tree. 

The fruits are edible, tasting like currants, and a 

red dye can be made from the bark. Both roots 

and bark can be used medicinally for stomach 

aches, tapeworms and also as a general tonic. 

Cordia africana 

Cordia 

A much branched deciduous tree, with 

many small white flowers and large round, 

sandpapery leaves, 4-15m tall. It is widespread 

across sub-Saharan Africa, from 500m to 

2,200m. Lovely as an ornamental tree, it also 

provides mulch, shade and bee forage, and the 

leaves can be used as fodder for livestock in 

the dry season. The wood is much prized for 

furniture and also to make ndiri, the traditional 

mortar, and Mwatu, traditional beehives. 

Fruits are sweet and edible and can be used to 

heal a dry cough, and the fresh juicy bark is 

used to set broken bones. Root decoctions are 

drunk to treat jaundice and schistosomiasis. 

Calodendrum Capense 

Cape Chestnut 

A beautiful tree, especially when in full bloom, 

with showy pink flowers, a wide spreading 

crown, between 15m to 25m tall. Found in 

Kenya and Uganda in the north where it grows 

at altitudes of 1,200m to 2,300m down to the 

Western Coastal Cape area in South Africa. Its 

non-invasive root system make it an excellent 

ornamental tree and it will grow quite happily 

in black cotton soil. The seed produces a yellow 

oil, also known as yangu oil, which can be used 

as a cosmetic oil. The bark is used in South 

Africa as a skin whitener. Colobus monkeys 

are particularly fond of the young leaf shoots 

and fruits.

Newtonia buchananii 

Newtonia 

A tall deciduous forest tree, from 15m to 

40m, with lovely feathery foliage, it is often 

planted as an ornamental tree, and makes good 

shade for tea and coffee. It occurs naturally in 

lowland and upland rainforests and riverine 

forests at altitudes of 600m to 2,200m. As part 

of the Leguminosae family, it also fixes 

nitrogen, and provides mulch and fodder, 

in addition to being good bee forage. It is a 

useful tree for planting on river reserves to 

help stabilise river banks. The red-brown heart 

wood is often used for making canoes on Lake 

Victoria and also for cabinet making. 

Prunus africana 

Red Stinkwood - African Cherry 

A tall evergreen tree of 25m height, with 

dark green glossy leaves, small white fragrant 

flowers and small, dark red fruit. Found across 

sub Saharan-Africa in highland forests, from 

1,500m to 2,300m, Prunus is part of the genus 

that includes peaches, apricots, cherries and 

almonds. It has a strong durable timber with a 

dark red colour. The tree has been threatened 

in many parts of Africa due to over harvesting 

of the bark for the pharmaceutical industry 

where it is used in a drug for the treatment of 

enlarged prostate glands. However the leaves 

also contain valuable medicine, acting as a 

blood vessel dilator thus increasing cellular 

oxygen levels. It has been drunk as tea by 

Africans for centuries. 

Syzygium guineense 

Guinea Waterberry 

A medium to tall densely leaved evergreen 

forest tree, usually 10m - 15m tall but can grow 

up to 30m. Widely spread across Africa, it is 

found from 0 to 2,100m, in medium to high 

rainfall areas. 

It has edible fruit, purple-black in colour, 

related to the Jambolan, which are sold in the 

markets in Kenya. Syzygium has excellent red 

brown wood, with a wide variety of uses. The 

bark can be used both for tanning and dying 

(black), as well as to glaze pottery, the leaves 

are good fodder, and the flowers good bee 

forage. Medicinally, it has a wide range of uses, 

from curing stomach aches to malaria and 

infertility. The main part used is the roots and 

stem bark, with some uses of leaves and fruit, 

as the main bark can be poisonous. 

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Dalbergia melanoxylon 

African Blackwood - Mpingo 

A spiny, many-branched shrub or small tree, 

up to 8m tall, with small sweetly scented white 

flowers and small pods. It can be found across 

Saharan and sub-Saharan Africa, at altitudes 

from sea level to 1,300m and is well suited to 

semi-arid areas. Mpingo is the national tree 

of Tanzania and is also known as the music 

tree, as its wood is used for making oboes and 

clarinets, as well as in the carving industry. It 

has a distinctive dark purple heart wood, with 

a pale yellow sapwood. It is also known as 

African ebony, though it is not the true ebony. 

The wood can fetch up to $18,000 per cubic 

metre. The bark decoction is used for cleaning 

wounds and the leaves to relieve joint pain. 

Juniperus procera 

East African Pencil Cedar 

A handsome tall evergreen tree, up to 40m, 

which used to be widespread across the 

highlands of Kenya, mostly at altitudes of 

1,500m to 3,000m, but it can grow from 

1,050m to 3,500m. Due to it’s termite 

resistance and durable properties which make 

it valuable timber for building and fencing 

posts, (posts can last in the ground for well 

over 150 years) as well as its original use for 

the wood in pencils, it’s natural stands have 

been over exploited. Cedar makes an excellent 

plantation tree and replanting en mass should 

be encouraged. Cedar oil (from the wood or 

leaves) is an excellent insect and rat repellent 

and also has potential as an organic treatment 

for other timber. 

Olea europaea ssp africana 

African Wild Olive 

An evergreen tree, with grey-green foliage and 

a rounded crown, 10m to 15m tall, it grows 

across eastern and southern Africa at altitudes 

of 750m to 3,000m. Olive can grow up to 1m 

a year but it is browsed by both animals for 

fodder and people for toothbrushes, so it is 

often misrepresented as a slow growing tree. 

Olive has many uses, the hardwood durable 

timber is much prized, for furniture, turning, 

cabinet making and carvings, the fruit is edible 

although too small for commercial olive or oil 

production, it also provides many 

environmental services. Possibly the biggest 

potential for olive is medicine as the leaf has 

strong immune system boosting properties.

Vitex keniensis 

Meru Oak 

A handsome deciduous tall straight forest tree, 

up to 35m tall, with distinctive palmate (five 

leaflets shaped like a hand) leaves. It naturally 

occurs on the eastern slopes of Mount Kenya, 

in the Meru area, from 1,300m to 2,100m, but 

has also been used as a plantation species in 

other areas, due to the high quality and value 

of the timber and the fast growth rate. 

The small black fruits are edible and taste like a 

cross between a plum and a date. Fruits from 2 

related species, Vitex doniana and Vitex agnuscastus 

act on the pituitary gland as hormone 

regulators and may assist in infertility. It is 

possible the Meru Oak fruit shares these 

properties. 

Vangueria madagascariensis 

Common Wild Medlar 

A deciduous many-branched shrub or small 

tree, 2m to 15m tall, with large velvety leaves. 

It grows across sub-Saharan Africa, at altitudes 

of 0 to 2,450m. The fruits when ripe are brown 

in colour and grooved like a pumpkin. They 

have a soft edible pulp, the taste resembling 

chocolate, which can also be used to flavour 

beer. The tree makes good bee forage and 

fodder. Wood is used for small implements as 

well as a source of firewood. Both leaves and 

roots are used medicinally for treatment of 

intestinal worms and malaria. 

Warburgia ugandensis 

East African Greenheart - Muthiga 

A hardy evergreen tree growing to 25m with 

dark glossy green leaves and rounded green 

fruit, Warburgia can grow from 100m to 

2,400m, but is most common between 1,000m 

and 2,000m. Also known as the pepper 

bark tree, the bark, leaves and fruit have a 

strong chilli-like flavour and can be used as a 

substitute for chilli in cooking. All those parts 

also have strong antibiotic activity and can be 

used as an alternative to antibiotics, even to 

treat tick bite fever. The Maasai drink it as a tea 

to reduce cholesterol levels. It’s Kikuyu name, 

Muthiga, was mistakenly pronounced and 

spelt as Muthaiga by the British colonialists 

hence the name used as an area of Nairobi! 

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Dominique Thoenes 

Dominique Thoenes is an environmental artist. With art 

experience spanning more than ten years as a professional, 

she has exhibited in Cape Town, New Zealand, India, 

Zambia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, Nigeria, England, 

Spain and the USA. She also has a fresh, funky and ethical 

clothing label ‘Bella MATATA’. 

All her exhibitions contribute to the environment or spread 

an environmental message. In past exhibitions, she has 

worked with The Africa Forest Nursery in Elementaita for 

her “Zebra in the Red Heels” exhibitions where she plants 

5 trees for every piece sold. This concept has been taken 

corporate as she partnered up with Safaricom to host this 

exhibition called “Zebra in the Red heels” at the Michael 

Joseph Centre, Safaricom. She and other environmentally 

passionate, talented, Kenyan artists have created art pieces 

with the theme “Zebra in the Red High Heels” made from 

different materials including recycled materials. 

Dominique also curates marine awareness exhibitions 

called “Bikini Clad Fish”. In these exhibitions she has all her 

frames created from ocean debris, mostly flip flops that are 

washed up on the beaches. She is now working with a local 

Diani artist on this project. 

Another ongoing show that she has held in Kenya and 

Zambia is called “The Truth About Bees and Elephants”. 

This particular exhibition promotes the use of bee hive 

fencing to keep elephants from raiding farm lands, thus 

helping curb the vast human/wildlife conflicts, in this case; 

elephant conflicts in North Kenya and else where.

Dominique has traveled the world extensively, and has left murals in different locations around the 

world. She is currently studying online at “The Green College” to gain a diploma in environmental 

studies and carbon analysis. 

Dominique has painted “Large Lady Zebras” for the show: they are black, they are white, they are sassy 

and they show a sexy side to being environmentally proactive. The works are framed using recycled 

wood salvaged from building sites. 

bellamatata@gmail.com 

Facebook page: Dominique Thoenes 

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Andrew McNaughton 

Andrew was born in Benghazi, Libya in 1950. He is a 

passionate naturalist and lives in Watamu where he has 

developed a wide range of beguiling fine art and functional 

pieces. His art pieces are entirely made from marine debris, 

in the form of found recycled or sustainable objects mostly 

collected from beaches and river inlets fuelled from the 

Indian Ocean. Andrew attended Hill School Eldoret for 

his primary education, went on to Duke of York School of 

Nairobi after which he attended Berkshire College of Art 

studying Production Design for four years. In the last 30 

years, he has engaged in interior design projects both in 

the UK and Nairobi; however all of his projects have always 

contained elements of fine art. 

All Andrew’s creations are environmentally sound and 

are fabricated from materials found in the Malindi area of 

Kenya. He creates his pieces from his workshop at his home 

in Watamu and he also mentors several local carpenters 

who are dedicated to each of his pieces. He uses seemingly 

unlikely items, such as toothbrushes; flip flops, bottle tops 

as well as natural materials. Andrew is a leading member 

of Watamu Marine Association, a community development 

and marine conservation organisation based on the north 

coast of Kenya and assists their work in teaching the 

community and local children on methods of recycling 

marine debris and other found items. 

Andrew is also a major contributor to the growing global 

network of marine debris artists. In March 2011, he 

attended the 5th International Marine Debris Conference 

in Honolulu and exhibited his work, which demonstrated 

to the audience of scientists, policy makers and artists the 

powerful message of art in combating the threats of plastic 

pollution and promoting marine conservation. A highlight 

of the event was Andrew presenting a flip-flop guitar to 

celebrated folk singer, writer, and conservationist Jack 

Johnson. 

Andrew’s Zebra in Red Heels contribution is named 

“Shakin’ that Ass”. He has used Capok wood, flip flops and 

Aluminum to create this funky, dance floor inspired piece. 

Andrew encourages those with aptitude to create their 

own works. You will find examples of his recent artwork, 

some traditionally done and others using new methods of 

creation on his website: www.andrew-mcnaughton.com. 

The Watamu Marine Association www.watamu.biz and 

Facebook page: 

www.facebook.com/pages/Watamu-Marine- 

Association/275519980370

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Cyrus Kabiru 

Cyrus Kabiru is a self taught painter and sculptor who 

currently practices in Nairobi. His paintings are often 

humorous portrayals of contemporary living within Kenya 

as he adopts the role of flâneur, the observer, explorer, 

and lounger by using his paintings as the output for his 

experiences.HeisperhapsbestknownforhisC-STUNNERS 

where he creates and wears artistic bifocals. The work sits 

itself between fashionable, wearable art, performance and 

one of a kind commodity objects. C-STUNNERS have 

a certain energy and playfulness that really captures the 

sensibility and attitude of a youth generation in Nairobi. 

They portray the aspiration of pop culture bling; they 

reflect the ingenuity and resourcefulness of people; the 

lenses provide a new filter giving a fresh perspective onto 

the world that we live in, transforming the wearer not only 

in appearance, but in mind frame as well. 

Kabiru’s sculptural work also embodies his role as a 

“collector” of Nairobi cast offs. He fashions and re-fashions 

waste, recycled and found materials into various art pieces. 

He is currently focusing on a series that depicts African 

nature using thousands of bottle caps sewn together. 

Cyrus has created his “Mongolian Zebra” for the exhibition, 

it is constructed from recycled wire and bottle tops, this 

Zebra is portable, with an easy to carry handle.

25 

Dennis Muraguri 

Dennis Muraguri has a Diploma in Painting and History 

of Art. He graduated top of his class from the Buruburu 

Institute of Fine Arts, Nairobi – Kenya, class of 2000-2003. 

Muraguri is a fine artist whose paintings are best described 

as being both fantasy and surrealistic. The message of 

Muraguri’s work is positive and reflective, it tells the story 

that Africa is no longer the dark continent but rapidly 

modernizing and is highly doing this by technology. 

Muraguri finds inspiration for his paintings and sculptures 

in globalization: “Everything that comes from outside is 

interesting.” 

The different colors on his work create a dreamlike 

effect. His sculptures are merely representations of the 

industrialization in Kenya and most of them are inspired 

by music. Muraguri has aptly named his sculpture-style 

“music today”. 

All sculptures are mixed media; wood and metal are 

combined. Metal representing the people who manufacture 

all kinds of things and on the other side is the wood, which 

symbolizes the natural side of life. Muraguri gets inspiration 

for his paintings from the paint itself and by the images he 

encounters everyday. Most of Muraguri’s work is concerned 

with political and social matters. 

Dennis chose to abstract the idea of the Zebra in the Red 

heels. He has worked with recycled objects to create his 

piece entitled “Stop Sign”, where he has played with the idea 

of a Zebra crossing and a hand signaling one to stop, to stop 

and think about the environment, to stop cutting trees and 

to stop the destruction. The use of the animal horn is to 

gesture the heritage of Kenyan wildlife.

27 

Nani Croze-Kitengela Glass 

Nani Croze is a muralist who experiments with a range of 

materials. Her commissioned works can be found all over 

East Africa, including large murals in hotels, ministries, 

hospitals, banks and office buildings. Using the technique 

of concrete relief, mosaic, metal, glass blocks and stained 

glass, she shows immense versatility and creativity. Nani 

Croze is the daughter of artist parents. Her father HAP 

Grieshaber was a well-known woodcut artist in Germany. 

Nani runs Kitengela Glass. 

Kitengela Glass is located opposite the Nairobi National 

Park. The magical ambience of the place is peppered with 

sculptures; animals and secret mosaic pathways that lead to 

niches of busy artisans all transforming recycled glass and 

scraps of other materials into beautiful artworks, jewellery 

and home ware. 

Nani contributes to the local community by helping in tree 

planting, granting school fees for needy children or finding 

sponsors for them. She has also helped repair roads and 

improve security within the area. Through Kitengela glass, 

she has helped save raw materials by recycling glass and 

other resources. Nani and her amazing team of Dalle de 

Verre workers, Edwin and Rotich, have made many glass 

pieces using this technique. Some examples of this work can 

be found at the National Museum, United States of America 

Embassy and Selian Hospital, Arusha. 

Nani’s thoughts are forever on the environment - trees, 

bees, water and animals. Her art reflects this passion. Her 

art piece made from recycled glass blocks (Dalle de Verre) 

titled “Moscow Underground” was inspired by the title of 

the exhibition. At 4ft high x 33” wide, the piece can act as 

simple garden windbreak to reflect the rising or setting sun.

29 

Bella MATATA Kenya 

Bella MATATA is a small sustainable business in Kenya 

that focuses on Art, Fashion and the Environment. Bella 

MATATA has been running in Kenya for six years and 

has a small fashion label that is available in Nairobi, Diani 

and Cape Town. The company also hosts three to four art 

exhibitions a year in Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Ethiopia and 

Tanzania. 

Dominique Thoenes is the creative director and energy 

behind Bella MATATA. Bella MATATA delivers creative 

consultancy, styling, writing and photography for various 

magazines and offers creative services for film and 

advertising. Bella MATATA outsources a lot of sewing, 

carpentry, welding and canvas making to local people and 

groups, including Don Bosco Boys Orphanage and the 

Wonder Welders, disabled welding group in Tanzania in 

order to enable and to provide employment opportunities 

for local community members. 

Bella MATATA has produced and been part of many 

successful international shows since 2007. Bella MATATA 

Art, Fashion and Accessories can be found stocked in the 

following places: Marulas Studios and Eco Hub Nairobi, 

House of Treasures Nairobi, Kiru Yaya Center Nairobi, 

The African Colours Shop Diani, Diani Art Gallery Diani, 

Merchants on Long Street Cape Town, The Cross Boutique 

London. 

In this exhibition, two wall hangings produced by Bella 

MATATA are constructed from recycled fabrics. Bella 

MATATA contracts Kenyan ladies to sew together the 

vibrant designs that have been laid out by the company 

creative director. 

Isaac Parsieke Ole Ntimpai, is a gifted Kenyan beader who is 

physically challenged. He was employed by Bella MATATA 

to bead the zebras seen on the wall hangings. 

More about their works can be found on www.bellamatata.com.

31 

Kathy Katitu 

Kathy Katitu lives and works in Nairobi, Kenya. Her 

experiments with different media resulted in her use of 

different techniques when creating watercolors, acrylics 

and textured paintings. Kathy draws her inspiration from 

African lifestyle and environment. 

During her life in visual art, Kathy has explored different 

expressions of art ranging from formal to conceptual 

artwork, human figures to landscapes. She strives to create 

work that engages in a new way with environmental issues 

by blending her sensitivity to the environment with a 

contemporary form that reflects her own subjectivity and 

artistic interests. 

Kathy’s ‘fantasy colors’ artwork combine the desire to visually 

explore the beauty of Kenyan wildlife in its natural habitat 

and embody those concepts in semi-abstract art context. 

Recycled papers have become prominent in her paintings. 

Her paintings give a flavor of the remarkable landscapes 

traversed and they are done from her perspective, showing 

an artist’s response to these striking environments. The 

variety of habitats and strong definite light make Africa an 

artist’s paradise. 

Kathy’s thoughts on the environment 

Rainforests provide the people of the world with many 

necessities, some of which would no longer be available if 

rainforests did not exist. People must open their eyes to the 

horrible tragedy that will inevitably occur if the citizens of 

the world do not realize the seriousness of this problem. 

Plant a tree, now! 

Kathy has produced a series of works using recycled paper, 

recycled hessian and recycled metal frames.

35 

Wonder Welders 

Wonder Welders is a group of adults, many of whom were 

begging on the streets in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. They are 

all affected by the disease, polio. Wonder Welders came 

together in 2005 with help from Blue Mango Photography, 

funds from The Dar es Salaam Charity Goat Races and great 

support from big companies in Dar es Salaam, who donated 

their scrap metal and established a welding workshop. A 

local welding expert using recycled scrap metal trained 

them and they started making all sorts of art pieces like 

animals and boats which were sold locally. 

Over the years more trainers came to the workshop to pass 

on different skills and they are now selling wooden products, 

animals art pieces made from scrap metal, recycled paper 

using pineapple tops, used paper and boxes, onion peels, 

beads from ground down wine bottles and natural soaps 

and candles. 

The sales of the items sustain the project making them selfsufficient 

and allowing them to expand rapidly to keep up 

with demand. The 40 people who are currently employed on 

a full-time basis are paid significantly well, so that they can 

now support themselves and their families. In the future, 

they hope to continue to expand the workshop and have 

more physically challenged Tanzanians to join in so they 

can expand the market in Tanzania and across the borders. 

All products made by Wonder Welders are made from 

recycled materials. They believe, in this way, they not only 

make beautiful art, but also care about the environment 

through their creative contribution. 

The sculpture produced by Wonder Welders for the show is 

named “Sassy”. She is an attractive lady leading the way to a 

better, healithier ecological world.

37 

Joseph Mbatia 

Joseph Mbatia Njoroge or ‘Bertiers’ as known by those close 

to him, studied at the YMCA Craft Training Centre in the 

beginning of 1980’s and he has been entertaining his friends 

and family by drawing since he was a kid. He continued 

to do that through his teenage years when he went to the 

school in Dagoretti. During that time, he also initiated his 

professional career as he began to paint signs for butchers 

and barbers. Later, he was utterly frustrated with that work 

and described himself as a “cat painter” in the middle of 

his commercial works, none of which interested him. He 

started to exhibit his works in a cafeteria called “Wasafiri” 

in Dagoretti and one day in 1985 Ernie Wolfe, an American, 

walked in and bought all 16 paintings. Later the men 

became friends and Bertiers works were put on sale in Santa 

Monica. Collectors became immediately interested, and 

soon a book about Mbatia was published. 

Bertiers’ art pieces, especially his paintings, are full of 

communal expressionism, irony, humor, and taunting 

of authorities which may make a westerner wonder how 

such open critique is even possible. The reason for this is 

probably Bertiers stance, and the fact that the community 

stands behind genuine folk artist such as him. He can also 

rely on his long career and on the protection given to him 

by international art collectors. Bertiers is equally adept in 

3D works in which he uses a rough energetic technique & 

exploits material references. 

Joseph Mbatia lives in the same village of Karinde, Dagoretti 

with the women who collaborated with “Mari Martikainen” 

and “Minna Impio” on the community artwork. They all 

know each other, which enhances the communal aspect of 

the exhibition. 

In this exhibition, Joseph’s metal sculpture is named “Zebra 

Safaris”, he sees the Zebra as a smartly dressed usher to 

the exhibition that is to help the environment, and the red 

shoes represent Wangari Maathai’s courageous steps to 

conserving the Kenyan environment. 

Bertiers biography can be found at www.bertiers.com

39 

UniquEco 

UniquEco is an African solution to a global problem. 

Thousands of discarded flip-flops wash up on the world’s 

shorelines creating an environmental disaster for the marine 

eco-system. Not only does this spoil the natural beauty of 

our beaches and oceans, the plastic waste is a hazard to the 

animals, slowly and painfully suffocating them. 

UniquEco offers a solution to help clean up the environment 

whilst generating a sustainable income for local families. 

We currently work with communities across Kenya and 

East Africa, educating them to see the worth in collecting 

discarded flip-flops and recreating them into unique 

jewellery, sculptures, toys, accessories and souvenirs. These 

people have been given an opportunity to make a fair living 

through trade whilst becoming responsible for their local 

environment. 

UniquEco is looking to strengthen the existing facilities 

and operations as well as to replicate and roll out its model 

across the globe providing the necessary skills, training 

and education to vulnerable groups. This expansion aims 

to increase exposure for UniquEco’s ecological and social 

message, boost employment in Africa and the rest of the 

world and finally, step up the rate at which we clean up our 

oceans. 

UniquEco has been operating for five years and has had 

international recognition through a variety of platforms. 

The most prestigious being one of the 12 finalists for the 

BBC World Challenge in 2008 and the Energy Globe 

National Award winner for Sustainability in Kenya in 2010. 

Uniqueco’s installation is named “Flip Flop Zebras Safaring 

in style”

41 

African Forest 

African Forest was founded in April 2006 and is based on the edge of the Rift Valley, overlooking Lake Elmentaita, which 

is a UNESCO World Heritage site. African Forest is a holistic agro-forestry company who are tapping the wealth available 

in agro-forestry in an innovative and sustainable way, in order to benefit investors, the environment, and the communities 

surrounding the plantations. African Forest focuses on the high potential value available in indigenous trees, both for 

long-term hardwood timber and also for the ongoing revenue that can be derived from them for medicinal and other 

uses on a sustainable basis. In addition, new uses of trees and their by-products are being investigated as part of their 

research, product design and development strategy. Forest-related products are being produced in collaboration with the 

local communities and marketed and distributed by African Forest. 

African Forest Indigenous Tree Nursery and Seed Centre 

Established in September 2006, the tree nursery currently covers 5 acres, space enough for up to half a million seedlings. 

They have over eighty different species of indigenous trees, and will be increasing to over a hundred. They focus on growing 

trees that have multiple uses, e.g. timber, medicine, foodstuff, dyes, fibre and environmental uses. African Forest also strive 

to find rare and endangered species, so they can be propagated, re-introduced, and preserved. They also grow trees suitable 

for all the different altitudes and agro-climatic zones of Kenya. African Forest also have a small selection of exotics. 

Recently established is their indigenous tree seed centre, with help from a Rufford small grant for conservation, an ongoing 

project which works in conjunction with the Kenya Scouts, training them in orienteering and identifying as well as mapping 

rare and endangered tree species for seed source. They also work together with Total to establish a fully equipped seed 

centre. 

Planet Positive Forestry 

African Forest has created a ‘Planet Positive’ forestry model, which intercrops exotics with indigenous trees, to gain the 

benefits of income from plantation forests together with recreating indigenous endemic forest. In addition the model 

creates non-timber forest products from the indigenous forest to ensure its future survival and protection.

45 

1Acacia mearnsii 

Wattle Tree 

Tannin or dyestuff: Wattle bark is the most widely used tannin material 

in the world. It contains 30%-45% (dry basis) high-quality tannins that 

are used in tanning many classes of skins and hides for many different 

classes of leather. Such tannins are particularly effective on hard leathers 

for shoes and saddles. They give better colour to leather than other 

tannins, do not precipitate in acid solution, and penetrate hides faster. 

A powdered bark extract is also used to prepare tannin formaldehyde 

adhesives for exterior grade plywood, particleboard and laminated 

timber. 

Fuel: Originally distributed as a source of tannin, black wattle is now 

recognized as a valuable fuel wood. Wood is moderately dense with 

specific gravity about 0.75, splits easily and burns well with a calorific 

value of 3500-4600 kcal/kg. The charcoal is extensively used in Brazil 

and Kenya, and in Indonesia the tree is extensively used as a domestic 

fuel and for curing tobacco. 

Fodder: The leaves have a high protein content (about 15%). Palatability 

trials with sheep showed milled leaves to be unpalatable on their own 

and were acceptable only when mixed with other feedstock. In Hawaii, 

A. mearnsii has been fed to cattle during drought periods. 

Erosion control: Wattles grow well at high elevations even on slopes 

with shallow or poor acid soils that are unstable and will not support 

agricultural crops. They can therefore be very effective in preventing soil 

erosion. Densely packed plantations have proved effective in preventing 

further erosion, even on hillsides of up to 50 degrees slope. 

Soil improver: An efficient nitrogen-fixer and good source of green 

manure, it thus can restore and regenerate soils. 

Nitrogen fixation: It is an effective nitrogen fixer and has an annual 

yield of wet leaves of 21-25 t/ha, containing 240-285 kg of nitrogen. 

2Acacia nilotica 

Nile Thorn 

Timber: Since the time of the Pharaohs, large timber trees have been 

exploited from the riverine forests of the Nile. Sapwood is yellowishwhite 

and heartwood reddish-brown, hard, heavy, durable, difficult 

to work, although it takes a high polish. Because of its resins, it resists 

insects and water, and it is harvested for boat making, posts, buildings, 

Glossary 

water pipes, well planking, ploughs, cabinet work, wheels, tool handles, 

carts, mallets and other implements. It is an attractive wood, good for 

carving and turnery. It is the best mining timber in Pakistan. Sudan 

forests have been managed on a 20-30 year rotation producing termite 

resistant timber especially suitable for railway sleepers. 

Fuel: The calorific value of the sapwood is 4500 kcal/kg, while that 

of the heartwood is 4950 kcal/kg. This valuable source of firewood 

and charcoal has been used in locomotives, river steamers and small 

industries. Burning charcoal, however, emits sparks. In India and 

Pakistan riverine plantations are managed on a 15-20 year rotation for 

fuel wood and timber. 

Gum or resin: A. nilotica ssp. nilotica is probably the earliest source of 

gum arabic, although this now comes mainly from A. senegal. The gum 

tapped from the bark is used in manufacturing matches, inks, paints 

and confectionery. 

Tannin or dyestuff: The pods of ssp. nilotica have been used for tanning 

in Egypt for over 6 000 years. The inner bark contains 18%–23% tannin, 

which is used for tanning and dyeing leather black. Young pods produce 

a very pale tint in leather, notably goat hides. Extracts from the bark, 

leaves and pods are used for dyeing cotton, silk and leather. Roasted 

seed kernels, when crushed, provide a dye for the black strings worn by 

Nankani women of Sudan. 

Reclamation: In India, this species is used on degraded saline and 

alkaline soils. It grows well when irrigated with tannery effluent and 

colonizes coal mine waste heaps. Over 50 % of the Chambal ravines in 

India have been revegetated with A. n. ssp. nilotica. 

3Adenathera pavonia 

Red Sandalwood Tree 

Medicine: In India a decoction of young leaves is used against 

rheumatism and gout. Pulverized wood mixed with water is taken orally 

for migraines and headaches; and dysentery, diarrhoea and tonsillitis 

are treated with a bark and leaf decoction. 

Timber: Adenanthera yields medium to heavy hardwood with a density 

of 595-1100 kg/cubic m at 15% moisture content. The heartwood is 

bright yellow when fresh, turning red; it is sharply demarcated from 

the light grey sapwood, which can be up to 5 cm wide. The heartwood 

is closely and even grained, with a moderately fine to slightly coarse and

even texture. Wood moderately lustrous. Shrinkage is variable, and 

the wood seasons very well with only slight warping. The wood is very 

hard, durable and strong. It can be easy or somewhat difficult to work, 

easy to plane and it takes a high finish. The heartwood is resistant to dry 

wood termites. The wood is used for bridge and household construction 

(beams, posts, joists and rafters), flooring, paving blocks and vehicle 

bodies. It may also be suitable for furniture and cabinet work and 

turnery. 

Food: Known as ‘food tree’ in Melanesia and Polynesia, the seeds of 

this tree are roasted over a fire and eaten by children and adults alike. 

Nutritional studies have shown that 1/4 of the seed weight is oil, with 

a high percentage of protein and a fatty acid composition, resulting in 

high digestibility in humans. Seeds may require boiling to neutralize 

toxicity. Young leaves are eaten as a vegetable. 

Fuel: Esteemed in the Pacific Islands for fuelwood, the wood burns 

readily, producing significant heat, and is used in both above - and 

belowground ovens. Good-sized fuelwood, larger than 11cm in diameter 

can be produced in 5 years. The wood yields very good charcoal. 

Shade or shelter: The fast growth and spreading crown of light, feathery 

foliage offers attractive shade. In Indonesia and Malaysia trees are 

planted for shade in coffee, clove and rubber plantations. It is planted 

along field borders as part of a windbreak. 

4Albizia gummifera 

Peacock Flower 

Medicine: A bark decoction is used against malaria antiprotozoal 

properties further validated in in-vitro tests. Lipophilic extracts of A. 

gummifera revealed very promising antitrypanosomal activity with 

IC50 values below 1 æg/ml. Four new macrocyclic spermine alkaloids 

isolated from A. gummifera were active against 2 Gram-positive 

(Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus) and 2 Gram-negative 

bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). In east Africa 

extracts from the crushed pods are taken for stomach pains and the 

bark decoction for malaria. 

Tannin or dyestuff: Bark has tannins. 

Gum or resin: Despite its name, the tree yields little amounts of gum 

when its bark is cut. 

Ornamental: A. gummifera is planted in town avenues for aesthetic 

purposes. 

Other services: Has ceremonial uses, especially as a meeting tree for 

traditional leadership assemblies. The leaves quicken the ripening 

process in bananas. 

5Brachylaena huillensis 

Silver Oak 

Fuel: During the first two decades of the 19th century, B. huillensis was 

the main fuel for Kenya. It was also exported as short logs to India as an 

inferior substitute for sandalwood for use in cremations. It is suitable for 

charcoal because of its high density and is exploited for this in Kenya. 

Timber: The wood is pale yellow to pale brown, with characteristic 

storeyed structure, scented somewhat like sandalwood, straight grained 

with conspicuous growth rings; texture is very fine, even, strong and 

stiff. But its failure in bending is sudden and complete. It is hard to work 

but does turn and work well with sharp tools. It takes a high polish but 

splits easily along the grain. It is used in flooring, furniture and joinery. 

In Kenya, it is a favourite wood for carving artefacts. 

Essential oil: Oil distilled from the wood has a pleasant, vetiver-like 

perfume. 

Ornamental: B. huillensis is planted as an ornamental tree around 

dwellings in Kenya. 

Boundary or barrier or support: Due to its durability, B. huillensis is 

used as fence posts, for example in northern Tanzanian along the border 

with Kenya, where it is overexploited. 

6Calliandra calothyrsus 

Calliandra 

Fuel: A good firewood species because it is fast growing, multi-stemmed, 

easy to regenerate and thornless. One year after planting, annual wood 

yields have been reported in the order of 15-40 t/ha with annual coppice 

harvests continuing for 10-20 years. Yields from C. calothyrsus are 

extremely good in coppice; after being cut at 50cm from the ground, 3m 

high coppices are formed in only 6 months rotation. The rootstock is 

very vigorous and will sprout readily. For firewood, optimum spacing is 

1m x 2 m with a minimum of 1m x 1m. Returns from charcoal 

productionare higher than fuelwood because the wood is a quick 

burner. C.calothyrsus can produce 14 t/ha of charcoal annually. Wood 

is suitableas a smoking fuel for the production of smoked sheet rubber. 

There has been a demand for smoking fuel since old rubber trees, the 

traditional source, are increasingly used by furniture manufacturers. 

Fodder: Leaves and pods are rich in protein and do not contain any 

toxic substances. Protein content is 22% (dry matter) and annual fodder 

yield (dry matter) amounts to about 7-10 t/ha. The fodder can be given 

to all types of ruminants and fulfils 40%-60% of their needs. Although 

no toxic substances have been found in the foliage, high concentrations 

of condensed tannins (up to 11%) have been reported, which may 

reduce the digestibility of protein for livestock to about 40%. Freshly cut 

(4-6 hours) forage has a higher digestibility value (60-80%). For fodder 

production, spacing can be dense: 0.5 x 0.5 m to 0.75 x 0.75 m. In Asia, 

it is planted in rice field dikes to produce fodder for fish. 

Soil improver: High leaf biomass production and high yields of 

protein leaf material on less fertile soils make it very suitable as a green 

manure and it is used in alley-cropping systems. Due to litter and the 

46

47 

combination of a deep and well-developed lateral rooting system, the 

soil and productivity of the land is improved. However, the relatively 

high level of tannins present in its leaves slows the rate of microbial 

breakdown of the organic matter. 

Erosion control: C. calothyrsus can be used to rehabilitate erosionprone 

areas and recover land exhausted by agriculture, where it easily 

dominates undesired weeds such as Eupatrium spp., Saccharum spp., 

and Imperata cylindrica. 

Nitrogen fixing: Roots are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen because 

of the symbiosis with Rhizobium bacteria (to which root nodules bear 

witness) and the symbiosis with root fungus. 

Intercropping: C. calothyrsus is compatible with crops, with both deep 

roots and extensive fibrous roots. It has shown promise as an understorey 

plant in coconut plantations with about 60% light transmission. 

7Dovyalis caffra 

Kei apple 

Boundary or barrier or support: Trees can be spaced close together to 

form an impenetrable hedge around homesteads, gardens and croplands 

to keep out unwanted animals. 

Poison: If the fruit is soaked in water and allowed to ferment, the liquid 

drained off has herbicidal properties. 

Medicine: A bark decoction is drunk for constipation, complicated 

gastrointestinal conditions, colds and fever. The root bark of Z. gilletii is 

used in traditional Tanzanian antimalarial preparations. 

Food: Ripe fruits are pleasantly flavoured and rich in vitamin C. They 

can be eaten fresh or made into jelly and jam. 

Essential oil: The seed coat contains an aromatic oil. 

8Eriobotrya japonica 

Loquat 

Food: The fruit has a thick, tough peel surrounding the firm flesh, with 

a flavour reminiscent of a peach. It is rich in pro-vitamin A, having a 

very high carotene content. E. japonica is usually eaten fresh but may be 

stewed, served as a sauce, syrup or jam, or made into an excellent jelly. 

The fruit composition is 84%-89% water, 0.32%-0.35% protein, 0.3%- 

0.6% lipids, 9.89-12.79% sugar and starch, 0.3-0.37% cellulose, and 

0.29%-0.26% ash. The fruits are a good source of acid and pectin. The 

seeds, which have an almondlike taste, are used to flavour drinks and 

cakes. Timber: E. japonica has a medium-weight to heavy heartwood 

with a density of 655-950 kg/cubic m at 15% mc. The heartwood is pale 

purple-brown with darker streaks, not clearly differentiated from the 

sapwood. The grain is straight with an attractive silvery look, and the 

texture is fine and even. The wood is occasionally slightly fragrant. The 

wood has very little tendency to split or check, is hard, and takes a good 

polish. 

It is suitable for poles and posts, carving and drawing materials such as 

rulers, and is in demand for making stringed musical instruments. 

Poison: The seeds are poisonous and should be removed before cooking 

the fruit. The flowers are used as an insect repellent. 

Alcohol: The fruit juice of E. japonica can be used to prepare an 

alcoholic drink. 

Apiculture: Bees are easily attracted to the fragrant, white flowers. 

Honey is amber coloured with an agreeable flavour. 

9Eucalyptus saligna 

Blue Gum 

Apiculture: Sidney blue gum is not reliable as a honey producer. It is 

however useful in stimulating colonies and may be helpful in 

queenrearing and re-stocking programs. The honey is strongly flavoured, 

rather dark and frequently lacks density. It does not store well. 

Fibre: Young, fast-grown trees are used for semi-chemical pulp. 

However, when E. saligna is grown slowly, the heartwood may become 

difficult to process. 

Timber: The heartwood is red or pink, hard, stiff, coarse textured, 

usually straight grained, moderately durable, has a density of about 900 

kg/cubicm,iseasytoworkandpolishes.Itisanimportantgeneralpurpose 

hardwood in Australia, and is favoured for construction, 

flooring, cladding and panelling. 

Essential oil: The essential oil yield is 0.3%-0.5%. The major compound 

found in E. saligna is alpha-pinene (71%-84%). 

Reclamation: E. saligna is used in reforestation. 

Jacaranda mimosifolia 

10Jacaranda Apiculture: The relatively large flowers easily attract bees; therefore, it is 

suitable for bee forage. 

Fuel: J. mimosifolia provides useful firewood. 

Timber: The timber is yellowish-white, hard, moderately heavy, fine 

textured, easy to work, and is used for carpentry. Wood is light brown 

and soft; it is used for poles and for making small items such as tool 

handles and carvings. Note that the wood associated with the timber 

trade name ‘jacaranda’ does not come from this tree but from Dalbergia 

nigra. 

Medicine: Bark and roots are used for syphilis. Leaves also used as a 

vulnerary. 

Shade or shelter: The tree creates pleasant open shade and can be used 

effectively as a screen or as a windbreak. 

Ornamental: J. mimosifolia is widely grown throughout the highland 

tropics. When trees are not in flower, the finely cut foliage is also 

attractive, especially at close range.

Jatropha curcas 

11Physic Nut/Purging Nut 

Medicine: Seeds were formerly exported from the Cape Verde Islands 

to Portugal and the ‘curcas’, or purging oil, from them is a drastic 

purgative. They resemble groundnuts in flavour, and 15-20 seeds will 

cause griping, purging and vomiting for 30 minutes. It is reported from 

Gabon that 1-2 roasted seeds are sufficient to act as a purgative; larger 

doses may be dangerous. The seeds have been substituted for castor oil 

and are sometimes called ‘larger castor oil’. The oil is widely used for 

skin diseases and to soothe pain such as that caused by rheumatism; it 

is an ingredient in the oily extract, known in Hausa as ‘kufi’, which is a 

rubifacient for rheumatism and for parasitic skin conditions. The oil is 

used to stimulate hair growth. The seeds are also used in the treatment of 

syphilis. Juice or latex is applied directly to wounds and cuts as a styptic 

and astringent to clean teeth, gums, and to treat sores on the tongue and 

in the mouth. Branches are used as a chewing stick in Nigeria. 

Latex has antibiotic properties against Candida albicans, Escherichia 

coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus 

pyogens. It also has coagulating effects on blood plasma. A methanol 

extract of physic nut leaves afforded moderate protection for cultured 

human lymphoblastoid cells against the cytopathic effects of the human 

immunodeficiency virus. Preparations of the plant, including seeds, 

leaves and bark, fresh or as a decoction, are used in traditional medicine 

and for veterinary purposes. A leaf infusion is used as a diuretic, for 

bathing, to treat coughs, and as an enema in treating convulsions and 

fits. Leaves are also used to treat jaundice, fevers, rheumatic pains, guinea 

worm sores and poor development of the fetus in pregnant women. The 

leaves produce a sap that has haemostatic properties; it is used to dress 

wounds. In Ghana the ashes from the burnt leaves are applied by rectal 

injection for haemorrhoids. The root bark is used to relieve the spasms 

of infantile tetanus and is used for sores, dysentery and jaundice. The 

juice of the flowers has numerous medicinal qualities. 

Tannin or dyestuff: Leaf juice stains red and marks linen an indelible 

black. The 37% tannin found in bark is said to yield a dark blue dye; latex 

also contains 10% tannin and can be used as marking ink. Ashes from 

the roots and branches are used in the dyeing industry, and pounded 

seeds in tanning in Ghana. 

Lipids: The seeds yield up to 31%-37% of a valuable oil. It is used to 

prepare varnish after calcination with iron oxides. Hardened physic nut 

oil could be a satisfactory substitute for tallow or hardened rice bran oil. 

In Europe it is used in wool spinning and textile manufacture. Along 

with burnt plantain ashes, oil is used in making hard homemade soap. 

Fuel: Jatropha oil is an environmentally safe, cost-effective renewable 

source of non-conventional energy and a promising substitute for 

diesel, kerosene and other fuels. Physic nut oil was used in engines in 

Segou, Mali, during World War II. The oil burns without smoke and has 

been employed for street lighting near Rio de Janeiro. Fruit hulls and 

seed shells can be used as a fuel. Dried seeds dipped into palm oil are 

used as torches, which will keep alight even in a strong wind. The wood 

was used as fuel, though of poor quality, in Cape Verde. 

Wax: The bark contains a wax composed of a mixture of ‘melissyl 

alcohol’ and its melissimic acid ester. 

Soil improver: Press cake cannot be used in animal feed because of its 

toxic properties, but it is valuable as organic manure due to a nitrogen 

content similar to that of seed cake from castor bean and chicken 

manure. The nitrogen content ranges from 3.2 to 3.8%, depending on 

the source. Tender branches and leaves are used as a green manure for 

coconut trees. All plant parts can be used as a green manure. 

Leucaena diversifolia 

12Leucaena Nitrogen fixing: The tree nodulates and fixes atmospheric nitrogen with 

Rhizobium strains that also nodulate with L. leucocephala. On soils 

very low in nitrogen, a moderate application of nitrogen fertilizer may 

increase nodulation and nitrogen fixation. A fertilizer application of 

50kg-100kg N/ha was found to increase the number of nodules per tree 

from11.5 to 25-30, while nodule dry weight increased by 63%-70%. 

Soil improver: The annual leaf dry matter production can reach 10-16 t/ 

ha. When incorporated as green manure, this adds 72kg-119kg nitrogen, 

2.5kg-3kg phosphorus, 29kg-60kg potassium, 47-94 kg calcium and 

7.5kg-18.5 kg magnesium to the soil per ha. This is equivalent to about 

10 t/ha cattle manure per year. 

Soil erosion: Soil erosion can be controlled effectively by planting L. 

diversifolia. 

Reclamation: In reforestation schemes, it is planted for soil amelioration 

and stabilization 

Intercropping: In agroforestry and mixed pastures, L. diversifolia is 

grown as an alternative for L. leucocephala, where the latter performs 

poorly because of high altitude or psyllid attack. 

Markhamia lutea 

13 Markhamia 

Medicine: Leaves are known to have medicinal value. 

Apiculture: M. lutea provides good bee forage. 

Ornamental: Attractive and worth planting as a screen or background 

tree for gardens and on golf courses. 

Fuel: Trees are a source of firewood and produce good charcoal. 

Fuelwood is used to cure tobacco in western Kenya. 

Boundary/barrier/support: M. lutea poles can be used as props to 

support banana trees. 

48

49 

Olea capensis ssp hochstetteris 

14East African Olive/Teak 

Fodder: O. capensis is a useful fodder tree. 

Fuel: A viable species for fuelwood from which excellent charcoal can 

be made. 

Timber: The wood of ssp. capensis and ssp. enervis is rarely used, but 

that of ssp. macrocarpa makes a fine, high quality timber. It has dark 

brown heartwood and is attractively figured, fine-grained, hard and 

heavy and although it is difficult to work it has been widely used in 

railway sleepers, wagon woods, bridge construction and for flooring 

blocks. It can also produce beautiful furniture. 

Podocarpus falcatus 

15East African Yellow-wood 

Medicine: Oil extracted from the seeds or fruits are used to treat 

gonorrhoea. The sap is used as a remedy for chest complaints. 

Poison: Leaves contain podolide, is a main ingredient for insecticide. 

Ornamental: The tree is very suitable for planting along roads in 

cities because of its excellent and attractive form. It makes an pleasant 

specimen plant on a lawn, standing out in early spring with the new 

flush of bluish grey leaves contrasting with the dark green mature 

leaves. Excellent as a pot plant for the patio. These plants can be used as 

Christmas trees instead of pine or fir trees. 

Reclamation: For use in re-forestation it is a species needing special 

treatment to ensure satisfactory seed germination but maintains good 

form in a range of planting situations. 

Food: The ripe fruit is edible but very resinous. 

Spathodea campanulata 

16 Nandi Flame 

Food: The seeds are edible and used in many parts of Africa. 

Timber: In its original habitat, the soft, light brownish-white wood is 

used for carving and making drums. 

Medicine: The bark has laxative and antiseptic properties, and the 

seeds, flowers and roots are used as medicine. The bark is chewed and 

sprayed over swollen cheeks. The bark may also be boiled in water used 

for bathing newly born babies to heal body rashes. 

Poison: The hard central portion of the fruit is used to kill animals. 

Shade or shelter: Recommended as a shade tree for parks and yards; it 

has been used for coffee shade. 

Syzygium guineense 

17Waterberry Medicine: Fruit is used as a remedy for dysentery, while a decoction of 

the bark is used as an antidiarrhoeic. In traditional medicine, liquid from 

the pounded bark and roots, mixed with water, is used as a purgative. 

Timber: Syzgium guineense provides reddish-brown, hard, strong, 

durable wood that is easy to work and is suitable for poles, posts and for 

building and bridge construction. 

Fuel: S. guineense is used as firewood and in the production of charcoal. 

Food: The ripe, pleasant-flavoured fruits of S. guineense are gathered 

and eaten. 

Poison: The poisonous bark has been reported to cause human deaths. 

Tectona grandis 

18Teak Medicine: In traditional medicine, a wood powder paste has been used 

against bilious headaches and swellings and internally against dermatitis 

or as a vermifuge. The charred wood soaked in poppy juice and made 

into a paste has been used to relieve the swelling of the eyelids. The bark 

has been used as an astringent and the wood as a hair tonic. 

Timber: A rare combination of superior physical and mechanical 

properties makes T. grandis a paragon of timber, and there is no 

likelihood of it being eclipsed by any other. The wood is a medium 

weight timber that is rather soft and has a characteristic appearance. 

The heartwood is often dull yellowish when freshly cut but turns golden 

brown or sometimes dark greyish-brown after exposure, often streaked 

grey or black. The sapwood is yellowish-white or pale yellowish-brown 

and up to 50mm thick. Grain is straight, wavy or slightly interlocked, 

with rather coarse and uneven texture. Density of the wood is (min. 480) 

610-750 (max. 850) kg/m³ at 12% mc. The wood is oily to the touch and 

when freshly cut has a smell reminiscent of leather. Being classified as 

very resistant to teredo activity, the wood is excellent timber for bridge 

building and other construction in contact with water such as docks, 

quays, piers and floodgates in fresh water. In house building, teakwood 

is particularly suitable for interior and exterior joinery (windows, solid 

panel doors and framing) and is used for floors exposed to light to 

moderate pedestrian traffic. It is also used quite extensively for garden 

furniture. Other uses are for building poles, transmission line poles, 

fence posts, wallboards, beams, woodwork, boxes, musical instruments, 

toys, railway sleepers and railcar construction. It is brittle and therefore 

less suitable for articles requiring high resilience, such as tool handles 

and sporting goods. Its high resistance to a wide variety of chemicals 

makes it ideal for laboratory and kitchen tables as well as for scrubbing 

towers, vats, pipes and fume ducts in industrial chemical plants. The 

wood grains are figured well, producing an attractive veneer, which is 

extensively used in the manufacture of furniture and interior fittings. 

Teakwood is suitable for the manufacture of decorative plywood. Larger 

logs are utilized for beams and sleepers, smaller ones for scantlings and 

battens, and thinner top ends and poles are used as round posts. 

Thinnings are also used for timber. The wood is very durable, difficult to

preserve, saws fairly and seasons easily. For the export market, teakwood 

is recommended for ship decking and other constructional work in boat 

building. T. grandis is economically one of the most important timber 

tree species of Indonesia. 

Ornamental: T. grandis is occasionally cultivated in tropical countries 

as an ornamental for its large leaves and spreading flower clusters. 

The species was originally introduced into Malaysia as a roadside and 

ornamental tree. 

Tannin or dyestuff: Both the rootbark and the young leaves produce 

a yellowish-brown or reddish dye, which is used for paper, clothes and 

matting. 

Other products: Sawdust from teakwood is used as incense in Java; the 

dust, however, may irritate the skin. 

Trichilia emetic 

19Cape Mahogany 

Medicine: The leaves can be used as an antidote for the irritation caused 

by the buffalo bean, whilst the bark is used in the treatment of skin 

complaints. Pieces of bark or powdered bark are soaked in warm water 

and used as an emetic or enema. Roots and the oil from the seed also 

have medicinal qualities; a bitter-tasting medicinal oil, obtained by 

boiling the ground seed in water, is taken orally to relieve rheumatism. 

Wax: Seed oil (mafurra or mafurreira tallow) is used for candle making. 

Food: A sweet, milky, potable liquid is extracted from the arils. The 

skinned seeds are also edible and are eaten raw or soaked in water and 

ground, the resultant liquid mixed with spinach dishes. 

Soil improver: The pressed seedcake left after oil has been extracted, 

with an approximate protein content of 16%, is suitable as a fertilizer. 

Other products: The kernels and husks of the nut produce a very good 

soap-making oil, which is sometimes used as a cosmetic and can also 

be used for preserving foodstuffs. For example, in eastern and southern 

Africa, oil is extracted on a small industrial scale and used in soap 

manufacture. The leaves have some soapy properties as well. Seed used 

to be exported from Mozambique under the name ‘mafura’ 

or ‘mafurreira nut’. 

Warburgia ugandensis 

20 East African Green Heart 

Medicine: remedy for stomach-ache, constipation, toothache, cough, 

fever, muscle pains, weak joints and general body pains, prevention 

of diarrhea, several skin diseases, common cold, used to clear sinuses, 

remedy for chest complaints, treat malaria. 

Poison: The heartwood contains new sesquiterpenoids such as 

bemadienolide, cinnamide, drimenol, muzigadial, polygodial, 

warburganal, warburgiadione, warburgin, ugandensidial and 

ugandensolide. These compounds exhibit anti-feedant activity against 

armyworm (Spodoptera littoralis and S. exepta), widely occurring 

African crop pests. The anti-feedant activities of warburganal and 

muzigadial are comparable. These two compounds belong to the 

strongest group of anti-feedants against African armyworm found so 

far. In addition, they exhibit very potent antifungal, antiyeast and 

plantgrowth regulating activity. 

Timber: Heartwood yellow or greenish, becoming brown on exposure; 

very fragrant when freshly cut, the scent somewhat resembling that of 

sandalwood. Good timber for building and furniture, but not termite 

resistant. It saws easily, planes well and takes a high polish, but it is not 

durable and is liable to split on nailing. The wood somewhat resembles 

teak and shows a satin lustre; its fragrance persists over 4 years of 

storage. Milling of the wood gives rise to a dust that is very fragrant and 

causes sneezing. 

Fuel: The wood has a high oil content and burns well with an incenselike 

smell. 

Food: Fruit edible; all parts have a hot peppery taste. The leaves and 

seeds are sometimes used to add flavour to curries. 

50

53 

How can one 

get involved? 

We all are heroes in our every own 

little way. Be a hero today. 

Ten ways you can get involved: 

• Plant a tree 

• Save Water 

• Turn your computers off at night 

• Use energy saving light bulbs 

• Recycle glass, aluminum and paper 

• Go vegetarian once a week 

• Use one less paper napkin 

• Use both sides of paper 

• Rethink bottled water 

• Recycle old mobile phones

Pledge Form 

Name……………………………………………………………...........................…..... 

Organization/Group………………………………………………………………...... 

Email Address…………………………………………………………………............ 

Physical Address…………………………………………………………………........ 

P.O. Box……………………………Postal Code……………………………….......... 

City…………………………………………………………………............................... 

Mobile……………………………... 

I/We would like to pledge ….. number of trees. 

I/We will be growing the above specified number of trees myself/ourselves and commit 

to securing their survival. 

I/We would like to contribute KES ………… towards the tree planting exercises which 

are a part of this exhibition. 

To make your pledge, please contact: 

Bella MATATA 

Phone number : 0706 261 058 

Email: bellamatata@gmail.com 

54

Acknowledgements 

A special thank you to all those who made 

a special contribution to this exhibition. 

African Forest 

Bella MATATA 

Plant for the Planet Foundation 

Redsky 

Safaricom Strategic Marketing Department 

Safaricom Foundation 

Total Eco Challenge 

World Agroforestry Centre 

58

CEO's Foreword - Safaricom

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