As Kenyan Government Evicts Them From Their Ancestral Lands In Direct violation Of African Court.
Nairobi, 3 November 2023
On Thursday, November 2, the Kenyan government began to evict Ogiek communities from the Mau Forest – allegedly on environmental grounds – destroying their homes and schools.
Around 700 members of the Ogiek Indigenous community in Sasimwani, Mau Forest, Kenya are facing an impending humanitarian crisis. The community woke up on November 2nd to find that – in direct contravention of two rulings from the African Court – Kenyan authorities had arrived to evict them from their lands.
“The Ogiek of Sasimwani are living in despair and feeling like aliens in their own country,” said Daniel Kobei, Director of the Ogiek Peoples Development Programme. “Their homes were destroyed while they watched with no resistance. They are saying they won the African Court case but nobody cared.”
“The Court was also clear that conservation is not a justification for eviction. It is extremely concerning that the government has not only failed to take any steps to implement the Court’s rulings, but also taken steps which directly contravene them, including through these evictions,” added Lucy Claridge.
Despite Government claims that land is required for ‘conservation purposes’, the scientific evidence, as well as evidence from indigenous peoples own experience, shows that securing indigenous peoples rights to live on, control and care for their lands is the most effective way to secure and conserve their forest environment.
On October 26, the Ogiek Peoples Development Programme (OPDP) published a statement stating that local authorities had ordered the community to vacate their ancestral lands in preparation for a potential eviction. The local chief – acting on orders from higher up – also suggested that they take their possessions with them as their homes would likely be destroyed.
Elders from the Ogiek Council of Elders immediately contacted various authorities of Narok County, as well as national and international agencies to engage in dialogue to find a solution, but the evictions still took place a week later.
“We are living in absolute fear,” said Daniel Kobei, Director of OPDP. “We are calling on the Kenyan government to respect the rule of law, the African Court, and the law of the Ogiek Community, and leave these lands in Ogiek hands,” he said.
In a statement published last week, the Ogiek Peoples Development Programme said:
The Ogiek community of the Mau Forest Complex, urgently call upon all relevant authorities, governmental and non-governmental organisations, and concerned citizens to take swift action to prevent the impending humanitarian crisis that threatens our community.
They also highlight the role of international funders who are providing money to the Kenyan government to protect Kenya’s water towers and other areas:
The international funders should be made aware that their contributions may inadvertently support violations of basic human rights, rather than genuine conservation efforts.
Eunice Chepkemoi, member of the Ogiek of Mau community and of the East Africa Women-Led Assemblies, stated that
It is the government trading with our environment, our land, disconnecting us from our environment. The President declared the Government intention to seize the Mau which has resorted to evicting the Ogiek of Mau from it. It is alleged that climate related funds and projects are fueling these evictions. The community is suffering a lot from these actions.”
The OPDP statement concludes with a final call to action:
We appeal for [your] intervention to call on the Kenyan government to cease these evictions and instead implement the judgement of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights regarding the Ogiek case.