On July 10th 2020, more than 100 officers from the Kenya Forest Service and Kenya’s Police evicted over a hundred Ogiek families from their ancestral lands, at the eastern part of Mau Forest in the Rift Valley of Kenya. These evictions started at the end of June despite an 2017 African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights ruling that the Ogiek should not be displaced from their lands. Traditional houses/structures were demolished and Ogiek communities, especially children, are now homeless and still recovering from the shock and injuries from these brutal evictions, while being accommodated by their neighbouring kinsmens. The Ogiek are one of the last groups of hunter-gatherers in Kenya and have a leading role as guardians of their local ecosystem, conserving and protecting land and natural resources in the Mau Forest.
The evictions take place as COVID-19 pandemic numbers keep rising in Kenya, with more than 13,771 confirmed cases and 238 deaths by Monday July 20th. The displacement from their lands only increases the vulnerabilities of Ogiek communities altogether to the risk of contagion, as social distancing and other preventive measures cannot currently be applied. Throughout the eviction crisis, Land is Life´s long time partner Ogiek Peoples Development Program (OPDP), has been receiving distress calls from the affected members of the community to intervene and tried to reach out for government offices to no avail, as fears of new evictions begin to soar amongst an already traumatized population.
Over 300 Ogiek infrastructures were destroyed during the evictions.
Land is Life firmly stands in solidarity with the Ogiek Peoples, and calls on the Kenyan government to immediately stop evictions and respect the 2017 African Court of Human and Peoples Rights ruling that ensures their inalienable right to live in their ancestral lands at the Mau Forest. Kenya and other governments in Africa must recognize and protect indigenous land and cultural rights without hesitation. As the humanitarian crisis provoked by evictions worsens day by day amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, urgent support is needed. Land is Life will allocate all of these week’s proceedings to provide humanitarian relief to the displaced Ogiek communities through our trusted partners.