China-trained Kenyan spider expert builds web of knowledge

NAIROBI — Grace Kioko is currently grappling with immense pressure, given that she is one of Kenya’s only two experts on spiders.

In a field that has traditionally been dominated by men, the 28-year-old scientist is a pioneer and, as such, society has placed a heavy burden of expectation on her shoulders.

“There is a lot of pressure because everyone comes to me on issues related to spiders in Kenya. I also like the challenge, because it helps me to expound on creatures that have not been studied as much,” Kioko says in a recent interview.

Kioko developed an interest in spiders while working as an intern at the National Museums of Kenya before she got the opportunity to study in China.

“I was doing volunteer work at a museum and then I found out that no one was dealing with spiders and so I wanted to fill the gap,” says Kioko.

She was awarded a scholarship to study for a master’s degree in spider diversity at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in

Beijing and currently works as a spider taxonomist at the National Museums of Kenya.

She says that studying in China was very interesting because she had an opportunity to interact with people from all over the world.

“The Chinese also have very specialized laboratories that help in the study, identification and classification of spiders,” says Kioko.

According to the scientist, studying spiders in Kenya is very difficult as samples typically have to be sent abroad for analysis because the necessary equipment is either expensive to access or is lacking altogether.

Kioko is currently identifying and classifying the various species of spiders in Kenya in order to identify potential applications for the arachnids.

Some countries have already been able to commercially exploit their spider species and her hope is to help Kenya do the same, she explains.

“However, the key challenge remains the lack of spider-specialized scientists locally,” she says, adding that she is seeking to inspire more Kenyan youngsters to become spider experts in order to tap the potential of the creatures.

“I am looking for collaborators so that we can help to enhance our local knowledge of our spider species,” she says.

According to Kioko, in Kenya, some 790 species have been classified.

“This means that we have a lot of work to do in Kenya in order to catch up with the rest of the world,” says Kioko.

She says that the bulk of Kenya’s spider collection is stored outside the country making local research of the country’s arachnids difficult.

The National Museums of Kenya is currently updating its collection of spider species in order to document the country’s rich biodiversity.

The long-term goal is to put the country’s spider inventory on a digital platform so that it is easily accessible from any part of the world.