Natural Justice Calls for Increased Community Involvement in Climate Justice Discussions

Advocates for environmental rights gathered in Eldoret for the Environment and Land Court Climate Justice Conference graced by the Chief Justice Hon. Martha Koome. The meeting, organized by the judiciary, aimed to highlight the gaps in attaining climate justice, particularly in the judicial response to environmental issues, and explore how the courts and the broader legal framework can better support marginalized communities affected by climate change.

Alex Yator, the Program Manager at Natural Justice East Africa Hub, opened the session by discussing the vital role the judiciary plays in advancing climate justice. He emphasized the gaps in environmental litigation, particularly in how communities are often excluded from key decision-making processes that affect their environment. “As an organization, we are lawyers of the community,” Yator said. “We support them when their environmental rights are violated, whether through litigation, community education, or ensuring access to their rights as enshrined in the Constitution.”

One of the most pressing issues raised by Yator was the lack of community participation in major environmental decisions, especially when large-scale projects—such as dams, power plants, or infrastructure developments—are planned in local areas. “In many cases, communities are only informed about these projects when a contractor arrives on the ground, and by then, it is often too late for them to have a meaningful say in the potential environmental impacts,” Yator explained. “There is a major gap in information access, and we are fighting to increase transparency, especially for communities whose livelihoods are directly affected by these developments.”

Joining the conversation was Dell Onyango, a Senior Program Officer at Natural Justice, who praised the judiciary for initiating timely discussions on climate justice. Onyango underscored the vulnerability of African communities, particularly farmers and small-scale vendors (known locally as “mama mbogas”), to the global phenomenon of climate change. “Africans, especially those in marginalized communities, are often left without the necessary tools or resilience to deal with the shocks of climate change,” he noted. “Our work at Natural Justice focuses on ensuring these communities are part of the conversation, not just as victims but as active participants in decision-making.”

A key issue raised by Onyango was the absence of lawyers and advocates in the dialogue. “While this program is beneficial, one crucial gap is the exclusion of legal professionals, particularly advocates and lawyers who are the ones representing clients in courts,” he said. “The courts themselves do not initiate cases; it is the lawyers who bring these cases to court on behalf of the communities. We need to include them in these discussions to make sure that the legal system is effectively used to support environmental justice.”

Mercy Chepkemoi, a Program Officer at Natural Justice, shared her concerns about the lack of representation from the affected communities and legal experts in the meeting. “Today, we are discussing issues that directly impact the lives of local people,” she said. “Yet, there are no representatives from the community who can speak to how climate justice affects them. There are 52 judges working on environmental cases, but we need to see more inclusive representation, particularly from those who are directly affected by climate change.”

Chepkemoi also raised concerns about the **absence of community representatives in the room, highlighting that the very people who are most impacted by climate issues were not part of the conversation. “The community should be part of these high-level discussions because they are the ones experiencing the effects of environmental degradation,” she emphasized. “In future discussions, it would be beneficial to have representatives from the community who can bring their concerns and challenges to the table.”

The meeting concluded with a call for greater inclusivity, both from the judiciary and the legal profession, in climate justice discussions. Natural Justice urged all stakeholders to recognize the importance of community participation in environmental decision-making and to consider expanding access to legal support for marginalized groups to protect their environmental rights.

Natural Justice remains committed to advocating for **environmental justice** and ensuring that vulnerable communities have the tools and knowledge needed to defend their rights in the face of climate change.