Development of the Gum Arabic Sub-sector in Kenya

Kenya was not known to produce gum arabic before 1988. Following consultations with organisations working in northern Kenya, which had seen the species in the region and noted some activities, a reconnaissance was commissioned and confirmed the availability of the Acacia senegal resource and informal commercial activities through Somalia. This was followed by an initiative by one Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) that organised communities to collect gum arabic and the first commercial export from the country was done in 1990. Collaboration was then established between the NGO and a government agency, which started the development of the gum arabic sector in the country by clarifying issues related to the resource and gum quality on the one hand and development of the external market on the other hand. However, a number of challenges emerged that slowed the base of commercialisation. These were related to issues of quality of gum arabic and reliability of supply. Effort has gone into addressing these areas and interest in Kenyan gum arabic has been renewed. A more structured approach to the development of the sub-sector has been put in place in the recent past. This paper highlights the evolution of the development of the sub-sector in the country and future prospects.