6 May 2015: During a recently held coordination workshop, the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR), a founding member of the Global Network for Sustainable Housing (GNSH) coordinated by the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), together with Kenyan Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) and Kenya Forestry Service (KFS), discussed the development of an integrated national bamboo sector policy for Kenya.

Workshop participants discussed the development and promotion of bamboo-based initiatives in Kenya, where bamboo forms an integral part of indigenous forests and provides vital ecosystem services with regard to the country’s water towers. Participants noted that, as a fast growing, highly renewable resource with properties similar to timber, bamboo can support green economic development and contribute to Vision 2030, under which Kenya aims to become a middle-income nation.

A discussion group for one of the four thematic areas of the workshop considered how bamboo could be used as a renewable, affordable and versatile building material in the Kenyan housing sector. A number of recommendations were formulated to strengthen the evidence base, demand side, supply chains and regulatory support for bamboo-based housing applications in Kenya, including sharing best practices and setting ambitious long-term construction targets in the run-up to 2030. [UN-Habitat Press Release]