Kenya ✓ Verified craft Woven basket
Kiondo basketry
local name: Kiondo
Hand-woven sisal baskets from central and eastern Kenya, carried for everyday use.
SisalNatural fibersNatural dyes Hand weavingCoiling
The kiondo is a bag-basket woven mainly by Kikuyu and Kamba women, and also by Embu and Meru weavers, in central and eastern Kenya, from sisal and other plant fibres coloured with natural dyes. It is now an icon of Kenyan design.
Key information
Type
Woven basket
Materials
Sisal, Natural fibers, Natural dyes
Techniques
Hand weaving, Coiling
Origin
Kenya
Regions
Nairobi
Transmission
Women's groups
Active since
Living tradition
Meaning & stories
The kiondo is a bag-basket woven mainly by Kikuyu and Kamba women, and also by Embu and Meru weavers, in central and eastern Kenya, from sisal and other plant fibres coloured with natural dyes. It is now an icon of Kenyan design. Fuller stories arrive with the client's day-15 content batch.
Read the full story →From challenges to innovations
Challenges
- Cheap plastic imitations
- Sisal price
Existing innovations
- GI protection sought under the draft 2026 bill
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