Wabule gives malewa fresh touch

Wabule displays some of the products from malewa. Photos | George Katongole

What you need to know:

  • Malewa, a delicacy among the people of Bugisu is under threat as forests from which the bamboo grows get depleted. Accessibility to the bamboo sources is also getting more complicated as conservation authorities limit where the people can go to collect the shoots that are preserved to make malewa, writes George Katongole. 

To one woman, Irene Wabule Walimbwa, growing her own bamboo shoots and adding value is becoming a more sustainable solution.

Malewa may not be a special sauce for everyone in Uganda but it holds a special place in the culture of the Bagisu, a mountainous tribe in eastern Uganda which occupies most of the Mt Elgon region.

Malewa, is a traditional Bugisu recipe cooked as sauce when mixed with ground simsim or ground nuts. It is until today a major part of ceremonies in Bugisu including Imbalu and weddings.

Scientists explain that eating bamboo is not in vain. Freshly collected bamboo shoots have good amounts of thiamine, niacin, vitamin A, vitamin B6, and vitamin E. Also the bamboo shoot-based diets are a rich source of dietary fibres and phytosterols and less cholesterol contents which make them one of the popular natural health foods.

The shoots, generally called culms, are collected from the wild from edible bamboo tree species that grow in the Mount Elgon slopes and preserved by smoking.

At first glance, malewa can be confused with banana fibres due to their appearance but they are tender when boiled. To the Bagisu, it is reminiscent of forest mushrooms.

Malewa is freely collected by boys and sold in bundles in towns but over time the volumes have declined.

 Opportunity for Wabule

Irene Wabule Walimbwa, 62, the managing director of AW Bamboo Enterprises, a food company that ensures people still enjoy their favourite malewa has taken it upon herself to modernize malewa.

The increasing human conflict in conservation areas has led to a decline of malewa shoots as wildlife authorities try to prevent encroachment of the conservation areas where bamboo grows.

This is a major threat to the culture of Bugisu and the supply of their favourite food.

“In our tribe, bamboo is a delicacy and it has been prepared at all important community events. This is why the forests were getting depleted,” Wabule says.

A daughter of the soil, Wabule processes bamboo in numerous products including, malewa, vegetable crunches and bamboo shoot powder.

She is also growing edible bamboo in Bududa District on the land of Mount Elgon National Park. She was given 112 acres in the park to pilot the growing of bamboo which was getting extinct.

“First of all we are trying to conserve the environment while providing food for the communities,” Wabule says.

To start growing bamboo was a difficult task as most people still think it is God-given and they should just scour the mountains and pick freely.

“There are several conflicts among communities and the conservation authorities. So, we are trying to ease the tension between the authorities and the communities. When we plant our own bamboo, we shall be getting our own raw materials while employing many children and women,” she adds.

Wabule has been growing bamboo since 2012 after being inspired by her friends.

“It was an unusual start. I gave gifts to friends abroad but one gave me an idea to start processing the bamboo and sell it in attractive packages,” she recalls.

The journey to value addition started unaware that she was simplifying work while adding extra pennies to the product. The shell life of the packaged malewa is several months.

Previously, value addition targeted the crafts and building while the National Forestry Resources Research Institute (NaFORRI) added charcoal to the bamboo’s by-products. But bamboo is extremely versatile despite being in its nascent stages in Uganda.

Its sturdy, wood-like nature makes it useful in construction, and it is also a source of paper, packaging, furniture and fabric. It can be used to produce biofuels, charcoal and crafts, as well as stick-based products like curtains, mats, toothpicks, incense sticks and skewers. It is also a source of fuelwood and fodder. Other people are extracting oils for the beauty industry.

According to Wabule, the cost of making one packet of 200gm of malewa is Shs2,000 yet it is more profitable as she earns Shs20,000 from the final consumer while the vegetable crunches of 10gm goes for Shs10,000.

Food safety is increasingly becoming important in Uganda with strict regulations. So those involved in the food production chain have to continuously abide by the food grade standards with appropriate packaging.

Bamboo plant where farmers get malewa. Photo | File

Wabule packs her processed malewa in food grade airtight bags to avoid any possible contamination.

She says that to be able to preserve the products, she trained from the Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI) which helped her on the best ways of preserving the delicacy.

Although she says the product is hard to sell among the non-Bagisu community, word of mouth has been instrumental in her marketing approach.

Reaping the rewards

Working with youth who go to the mountains to collect the shoots, while others are involved in processing and packaging, Wabule has set up camp in Mbale for all the processing activities.

In a month, she estimates that the company is able to produce 30 packets of processed bamboo. This is a true picture of the sector’s struggle with raw materials.

She says that bamboo is harvested once in a year between April and September yet there is stiff competition for the raw materials as she does not have a monopoly.

“That is the reason I came up with an idea to grow my own bamboo to be able to have raw materials such that we are able to become more sustainable,” she says.

Wabule, a mother of six, who dropped out of school in Senior Four to become a housewife, started the project to help her get some money to help her family and dependents.

That it is a rewarding activity since it has helped her take care of her financial needs and domestic responsibilities.

“The bamboo has helped to contribute to my children’s education. They are part of this work and have been helping me. I will tell you that when you buy bamboo of let us say Shs1m, you can get like three times the profit. So that is rewarding,” she says.

Partnerships

Wabule’s genius is polished by the helping hand of the Dutch Sino East Africa Bamboo Development Programme of International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation (INBAR).

Michael Malinga, the national coordinator for INBAR says that bamboo growing is very lucrative as the industry has an estimated global market of $60b.

According to Malinga, planting and managing bamboo could contribute an estimated 15 percent towards Uganda’s goal of restoring 2.5 million hectares of forest cover by 2030.

Bamboo is a major carbon sink that could help countries reach their global land restoration, climate change and sustainable development commitments.

Malinga says the organisation is supporting SMEs in bamboo value addition in terms of marketing, business development services, attraction of more investors as well as research and development.

How to prepare malewa

Soak bamboo overnight. Use the same water for cooking.

Then, you cut off the joints, where the bamboo is hard. The soft middle parts are what you will eat.

Cut it into smaller pieces, rinse, and boil again for about half an hour.

After cooking, when ready add groundnuts paste and keep stirring. Then add tomatoes and other desired spices as you wish.

Add salt and serve with any type of food.