Charles Owigo Bone Craft

Our Story

I'm Charles Owigo Owiti, a handcraft bone jewellery artisan based in Kibera, Nairobi. Every piece I create is hand-carved from ethically sourced cow and camel bone — shaped, polished, and finished by these hands right here in my workshop. My story begins in Aora-Chuodho village, Homa Bay County, in western Kenya. I grew up in a family that didn't have much, and school was a luxury I could rarely afford. When I was in class six, my father — who had been paralysed and bedridden — called me to his side. With tears in his eyes, he told me he couldn't see how my education would continue. But then he did something I carry with me to this day: he blessed me. He placed his hand on my head, spoke life over my future, and told me my path would be provided for. One month later, he passed away. My mother fought to hold the family together, but she too passed before I finished primary school. That was where my formal education ended — but not my story. For two difficult years, I survived with nothing. Then my uncle offered me a chance to train at a bone carving workshop in Nairobi. I had just married my wife, Victorine Adhiambo — we'd been together only one week. I told my uncle: where I go, she goes. Where I sleep, she sleeps. What I eat, we share. And so in December 2005, we came to Nairobi together with nothing but each other. I trained in bone carving and picked it up fast — what takes most people a year and a half, I learned in months. I started taking on contracts, and every shilling I earned went straight to Victorine. She saved faithfully. Together, we built up 200,000 KES — enough to buy my own machines and open my own workshop. Business was good. I had my own customers, my own space, and my family was growing. Then two disasters hit back to back. First, COVID-19 shut everything down — all my customers disappeared overnight. Then Kenya Railways demolished my workshop. Every machine, every material, every finished piece — gone. I was back to zero, with a big family depending on me. I went to my knees and prayed. And I remembered my father's blessing. That memory gave me strength. Within a week, I received a phone call from my friend Sergio Mazza in Italy. When he heard what had happened, he rallied support — and suddenly I had the means to buy new machines, feed my family through the lockdown, and start again. I rebuilt. Piece by piece, bone by bone. Today, I handcraft salt shakers, bottle openers, napkin rings, earrings, necklaces, bangles, chopsticks, key holders, wooden bowls, salad spoons, decorative pots, and more — each one carved and finished by hand in Kibera. My designs draw from Kenyan heritage, and no two pieces are exactly alike. In 2023, my health took a serious turn — my legs began swelling and producing deep wounds that kept me bedridden. In 2025, my beloved wife Victorine fell ill shortly after giving birth to our youngest daughter, Shavana. After five months in hospital, Victorine lost her life on November 19th. She was laid to rest in our home village on December 12th. She left behind our children — including a baby who was just seven months old. I'm still standing. I'm still carving. Every piece that leaves my workshop carries the weight of everything I've overcome and the blessing my father spoke over me as a boy. When you buy from Charles Owigo Bone Craft, you're not just getting a unique handmade piece — you're supporting a Kibera artisan, a father raising his children alone, and a craft that refuses to die. I thank God, I thank my friends who have stood by me, and I thank you for reading my story. 🙏