One of the natural resources that make Kisii county proud is the soapstone found at Tabaka.
Its existence has provided job opportunities for locals and income to the county government.
But more importantly, there are heroes whose contributions towards stone carving cannot go unrecognised.
Elkana Ong'esa, a local artist from Tabaka, was born as a first child in a family of 10 in 1944.
He learned his first skills from both his grandfather and parents who were recognised as traditional crafts persons.
Onge'sa's passion for arts saw him enroll at Makerere University in Uganda for a course in Fine Arts and the University of Nairobi, where he did a postgraduate thesis on stone carving in East Africa.
He also joined McGill University in Canada in 1985, where he graduated with M.Ed. in the teaching of art.
The 72-year old's prominence in stone carving has spread worldwide, with some of his works exhibited overseas including the 'Bird of Peace' at the entrance of UNESCO building in Paris since 1976.
Other works were exhibited in USA, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden and Canada.
Being an international art teacher after tutoring for long in African countries and North America, Ong’esa became a senior lecturer in creative arts at the Kisii Teachers College (now Kisii University) in 1975.
He also taught at the University of East Africa Baraton and international universities in New York and New Jersey.
He later began his own art school in Kisii- Africa Institute for Culture and Development, to train artists and give them an opportunity to exhibit their skills.
In many occasions, Ong’esa has been active in mobilising socio-economic resources and promoting income-generating activities for his community.
His contributions have impacted positively in the economic empowerment of both locals and the government.
He remains to be a guru in the stone art.