Geospatial engineer bets on basket business

A basket selling for Sh10,000 at Vikapu Africa may have passed through several hands before reaching a customer. The fibre may have been harvested around Lake Victoria, and it may have been woven by an artisan in Turkana or arrived half-finished from Uganda, Tanzania or Zimbabwe.

It may then have travelled to Nairobi, where it is fitted with a leather handle, lined with kitenge or Ankara fabric, tagged, and in some cases, redesigned to meet a customer's request.

Deadan Macharia has built his business around this final stage. In 2024, he walked away from a career as a geospatial engineer to start buying and selling baskets, later establishing Vikapu Africa, a business rooted in traditional craftsmanship.

“I used to work as a geospatial engineer with Kenya Power, but I left to focus on baskets full-time because of my love for the arts,” says Macharia.

Rather than competing with established basket sellers based entirely on weaving, he buys raw or partly finished baskets and turns them into finished products bearing his brand.

But the business did not take off immediately. The early days were marked by weeks with no customers, while stock sat unsold and doubts about the business grew.

He started the business with Sh30,000, selling baskets on the streets and using the proceeds to buy more stock. The turning point came when he brought in a new batch and sold everything. That gave him the confidence to keep going.

Two years later, Vikapu Africa has moved from street vending to a workshop and shop in Nairobi, with a network of artisans and suppliers stretching beyond Kenya to Tanzania and Rwanda, while some of its products originate from Uganda and Zimbabwe.

But the business is built around an important reality: "This is not fast-moving merchandise," says Macharia.

Some baskets take up to seven days to make, or even longer, depending on their size and complexity. Even after a basket has been woven, there may still be hours or days of work before it reaches the customer.

The idea began taking shape when Macharia travelled to Turkana and watched artisans weaving baskets by hand.

“Seeing the artisans at work had an overwhelming effect on me,” he says.

The experience deepened an interest in African art and history that he had already brought into his home through African-inspired décor. At Vikapu Africa, that interest has become a business model.

Leather handle

At the workshop in Mwariro Market in Nairobi, a plain basket can be fitted with a leather handle or strap, lined with kitenge or Ankara fabric, given a wooden handle and tagged with the Vikapu Africa brand.

Customers can also request changes to standard designs.

The same approach extends to bags, lamps, wall frames and other African-inspired décor items. Some are made entirely in Kenya, while others begin as baskets sourced from different parts of East Africa and Zimbabwe before being finished in Nairobi. Even the rope used for handles and straps is prepared at the workshop, giving the team room to make adjustments when a customer wants something different.

“The finished product looks very different from the woven basket that first arrived at the workshop,” says Macharia.

That difference is where Vikapu Africa hopes to create value. But customisation also makes the business more complicated.

Macharia says production and marketing are among the company's biggest recurring expenses. For orders going outside Kenya, shipping adds another cost. The workshop must also keep track of the materials needed to transform the baskets. One of the fibres they use is water hyacinth, harvested and dried by suppliers around Lake Victoria. Papyrus is also used, while some designs require locally made metal frames.

Macharia works with people in different regions who collect baskets from artisans and transport them to Nairobi.

“If it’s Turkana, for example, there's someone who works with the Turkana people. Every Monday, they come to the shop,” he says.

The time spent at the Nairobi workshop depends on what is being made. A small piece can take about 30 minutes to finish, while the largest and most detailed baskets can take up to a week.

Prices range from about Sh700 or Sh800 for smaller products to Sh9,000 or Sh10,000 for some of the largest customised pieces. The price difference reflects more than the basket itself. It can include the cost of sourcing the woven piece, transporting it to Nairobi, buying leather or fabric, preparing the handle, completing the finishing work, packaging and, for exports, shipping.

That becomes particularly important when Vikapu Africa receives large customised orders.

“A customer ordering several baskets for a wedding, for example, may have specific requirements regarding colour, handles, lining and delivery date. The workshop has to source the materials, prepare the baskets and complete each order within the agreed time.”

The model also means that a delay at one point in the chain can affect delivery.

Getting materials on time can be another challenge. Some fibres have to be harvested, dried and prepared before they can be used.

“When supplies run low, it can take as long as a month to replenish them,” says Macharia.

Macharia says that Africans make up the largest share of his customers, with many purchases going towards weddings and other festive events. In a good week, Vikapu Africa sells between 10 and 20 pieces.

Tourists and expatriates account for a smaller share, while online and export orders have taken the products to Denmark, New Zealand and other parts of Europe.

His ambition is to increase exports over the next three to five years and build Vikapu Africa into a larger market for African-inspired products. Before that happens, however, there is a more immediate problem to solve: getting more customers through the door.

Macharia says the current location has not generated as much walk-in traffic as he expected, and moving to a location with more passing trade is one of the changes he is considering. Competition is another reality. He expects other businesses to copy his designs, but believes the answer is to keep creating.

“We are creative enough to come up with new designs,” he says.

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