Members Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ESCR-Net members, Endorois, and Ogiek communities held a peaceful procession to seek justice for their seized lands and torched houses from the Attorney General.
The two communities and the ESCR-Net members intended to deliver a call-to-action letter to the Attorney General’s office demanding the government to immediately implement the Commission and Court rulings to ensure justice and reparations for the communities. Hence, the communities have been protesting government neglect and forced evictions from their ancestral lands, demanding the fulfillment of promises made to them.
The Ogiek and Endorois community is awaiting plans from the Attorney General to address the ongoing protests due to recent house burnings and slow court proceedings.
Further, through its representative, the Ogiek community noted that the National Land Commission, in a visit to their land, promised to address the contentious issues but are currently disappointed to learn that the community has been accused of living in and destroying the Mau forest, allegations they vehemently deny.
The communities also cited the issue of carbon grading which they suspect could be the underlying motivation for the forceful eviction and therefore, appealed to the government to sensitize everyone involved for better understanding through information, awareness, education, and training as it relates to carbon grading.
They added that their people lack basic facilities such as schools and hospitals where the former have been burnt down and the latter devoid of amenities and specialists needed to effectively take care of members of the communities. A representative from Sheria House assured the group that their issues would be promptly addressed.
By Stacie Ang’aya and Sharon Otieno
