Ogiek community drawn from Uasin Gishu and Nandi County commemorate five years since the landmark Ruling
Ogiek community drawn from Uasin Gishu and Nandi County commemorate five years since the landmark ruling delivered in Arusha in 2017 granting them rights to embark the forest.
The commemoration was celebrated in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu county.
Speaking to the press they said the government has failed to implement the ruling and asked to be given a representative in the county and national government.
“The event is meant to remind the government that on May 26th 2017 we won the case of us getting our land back, but the government of Kenya has not yet been able to fulfill the ruling of the African court,” Joseph Keila the secretary to Ogiek community said
They called on President Uhuru Kenyatta to intervene for the promise to be fulfilled.
“We are calling on our able president Uhuru Kenyatta to intervene and ensure that we have our land back .We demand justice for the Ogiek community for we need to have our ancestral land Daniel Tuwei said.
He noted that they have traveled back and forth to Arusha to get justice but the government has ignored them.
“Whenever there is fire, we are called to put it off, there has been deforestation and we are still the ones told to plant trees despite the fact that they chased us out,”Samuel Sungura said
The Ogiek community are scattered in 6 different counties , Narok, Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Jericho, Baringo and Nakuru.
Paul Sang chairman of counsel of elders said “It has been 5years now down the line without the
Government doing anything concerning the Ogiek community, I request the president before he leaves office, May he not forget us , for the last 25 years we have been struggling with this case, and having won we demand justice,”
The community grieves that since they were chased out they have not been able to get a place to settle down , where they can call home despite the government giving them compensation they still need their own land.
“The government does not consider us in any decision making but when it comes to elections we are asked to go and vote and that’s when we became Kenyan Nationals,” Catherine Chepkoech said.
They also addressed the deputy president Williams Ruto to ensure they have their land back for
them to have a place where they will do their bottom up approach.
By Sophy Okwiri
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