In Kenya’s Samburu County, women are both the key protectors and exploiters of the threatened tree. 

A group of Samburu women at a capacity building meeting on sandalwood conservation in Kenya. Credit: Carroll Omuom.

The sandalwood tree, known as Losesiai in Samburu language, is of immense traditional value to the people of Kenya’s Samburu County. Growing naturally in the region’s drylands, the tree signifies richness and its parts are used in numerous rituals and activities. It is used in marriages and circumcisions; its branches can help ward off snakes or make it rain; and its scent is said to help bring feuding couples back together. 

“We believe that by tying sandalwood leaves around a newborn’s neck it brings the child good luck,” adds Lillian Letiwa, one of the women leading conservation efforts in the county. 

The sandalwood tree also has numerous medicinal uses. According to Peter Gachie, Senior Researcher at the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI), parts of the tree have antimalarial, antibacterial and antifungal qualities and have proven useful in curing impotence, chest problems, joint pains, fatigue, diarrhoea, and ringworms. 

“Traditionally, the bark would be used to brew herbal tea,” he says. “Powder made from the barks is also used as an antivenom against snake and centipede bites. It is further used as a painkiller after circumcision, or for toothaches, and even menstrual cramps. In Tanzania, it is used to cure anemia, sexually transmitted diseases, and typhoid.” 

For generations, the Samburu people protected the precious sandalwood tree, using its bark and leaves sustainably. But today, the tree – which takes a decade to mature – is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) red list of threatened species.

In 2007, the government of Kenya issued a ban on sandalwood harvesting. And in 2013, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) classified the East Africa sandalwood – under its scientific name, Osyris lanceolata – as an endangered species. 

In its proposal, CITES noted the “high demand” for sandalwood oils by the perfumery and pharmaceutical industries. A litre of sandalwood oil is worth up to $3,000 in the global market. It explained how limited supply from “traditional source countries such as India, Indonesia, Pacific and Australia” and state protection of the tree in India and China had “shifted the trade to the East African sandalwood leading to over exploitation”. 

“Unlike the control system that has been put [in place] for the traditional source countries, such mechanisms are lacking for Osyris lanceolata,” it added. 

Lillian Letiwa (middle) alongside members of the Ngari Green Project organisation. Credit: Lillian Letiwa.

Willis Okumu, a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Security Studies has been investigating sandalwood trafficking in Samburu since 2020. His research, which has exposed key actors and networks facilitating the illegal trade, suggests the biggest market for Kenyan sandalwood is China. 

“This has to do with the medical properties that sandalwood has,” he explains. “The way the Samburu people believe that sandalwood is a cure to many ailments, the Chinese traditional medicine industry, which is quite big, also believes the same.”

Over the years, several shipments of sandalwood have been intercepted by authorities. When this happens and the courts determine them to be illegal, the confiscated products are handed over to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) or Kenya Forest Service. These institutions then destroy the illicit product, as occurred in March 2024 when the KWS announced the burning of six tonnes of sandalwood trees confiscated at the Wamba Police Station in Samburu County.

According to Okumu, 1kg of sandalwood sells for about $1. By comparison, 1kg of sandalwood can produce up to 20ml of oil, which is worth about $40. 

In many instances, the trade begins with locals in Samburu – and typically women. 

“In Samburu society, a lot of what you would call the hard work within the home is done by women,” says Okumu. “In the same breath, it’s the women that go into the community forests to uproot sandalwood trees for sale. They’re the ones who cut the tree into pieces as per the customers’ orders. Some women even form sort of women associations and organise to raise money that facilitates illegal sandalwood trade.”

“If you go to the police station in Samburu,” he continues, “the list of the people arrested for sandalwood trafficking including the ownership of vehicles used to transport sandalwood, are mostly women.”

The sandalwood supply chain from Kenya to China. Chart by Dr Willis Okumu.

The people of Samburu believe that Nkai (God) placed sandalwood trees on their land and that he will return those that have been lost. Nonetheless, many fear that the loss of the sacred tree will mean that they cannot pass down its cultural and medical uses to future generations.

In an attempt to reverse this trend, the Kenya Forest Research Institute has been looking into the viability of growing Indian sandalwood since 2019. This variety of the tree is considered a “true” sandalwood species – unlike the East African “false” sandalwood – and grows faster, produces more oil, and is more desirable in the international market. The institute hopes to introduce Indian sandalwood to communities for commercial use while preserving the native East African sandalwood.

“So far, [Indian sandalwood] is doing even better than ours,” says Gachie. “Ours has the habits of a shrub by growing many different stems. But the Indian one has one stem, so it has the habits of a tree. We anticipate that the Indian one will produce stronger wood. Its oil also has a higher market value.”

At the same time, initiatives such as the Ngari Green Project are advocating against environmental crimes, raising awareness through radio programmes and community meetings, and training communities on clean cooking and sustainable income-generating activities. Of the 50 members in the organisation, 48 are women.

“Sadly we do a lot of unproductive activities, where there is so much work without any financial benefits,” says Letiwa, the group’s Project Coordinator. “This is one of the objectives of our organisation and we hope to collaborate with KEFRI’s initiative for preserving the native sandalwood tree while making money.”

Sandalwood trees grown at the same time in 2022 – Indian Sandalwood (left) and East African sandalwood (right) – at KEFRI’s Rumuruti office in Laikipia County, Kenya.

This article was produced with support from the Resilience Fund and Unganisha Cultures.