Ogiek calls on NLC to scrutinize land compensation register

The Ogiek community, who were forcibly removed from Mau Forest in 2009, have called upon the National Lands Commission (NLC) to initiate a review of the land compensation register. Through the Ogiek Independent Council of South West Mau Forest, Konoin, the indigenous group has provided the commission with a detailed register of individuals who were displaced during the 2009 evictions.

This submission follows a significant ruling by Justice J.M. Onyango of the Environment and Land Court (ELC) in Kericho (ELC Petition No. 5 of 2017) on July 27, 2018, which determined that the evictions contravened the community's rights to property, equality, freedom from discrimination, and human dignity. The court mandated the NLC to collaborate with local chiefs and the Ogiek Council of Elders to create an official list of genuine victims and identify alternative lands for their resettlement.

This decision aligns with international legal precedents, including the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights ruling (Application No. 006/2012), which acknowledged the Ogiek as the indigenous protectors of the Mau Forest and affirmed that environmental conservation should not be a pretext for displacing indigenous inhabitants.

The Ogiek community emphasized that they are stewards of the forest, not adversaries, and their traditional practices maintain water supplies, prevent deforestation, and safeguard against commercial exploitation. They expressed concern over being sidelined from climate resilience programs and the preservation of Kenya's vital water sources, given their extensive ecological knowledge.

The community is now urging the NLC to swiftly verify the register and commence the resettlement process as ordered by the court, while also seeking to establish a co-management framework with the Ogiek Independent Council to safeguard the South West Mau Forest for future generations.