Inside 9 months of pain for Ogiek families after Mau East evictions

From a life of plenty to depending on relief supplies is the sharp contrast in the story of hundreds of families from the Ogiek community evicted from East Mau Forest.

The families lost their homes and farms in November 2023, when the government through the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) evicted them from Sasimwani water tower.

The minority community now living in squalor at the mercy of hospitable neighbours in Okirikirai, Narok North, says their only mistake is their way of life as forest dwellers. “We have been rendered IDPs in our own country now residing in temporary shelters along roads, churches, and in homes of local communities,” said Wilson Memusi, their chairperson.

The families held peaceful demonstrations at Okirikirai calling on the government to come to their rescue after over nine months suffering in the cold.

During the November 2023 displacement, the families had their homes destroyed by KFS officers leaving them counting heavy losses.

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The evictions were part of government’s efforts to restore the Mau Forest where huge chunks of land had been cleared by loggers and the open spaces turned into agricultural farms. “As Ogiek community we were evicted from our ancestral land yet our activities do not degrade the forest in any way. It was unprocedural and against our rights,” said Memusi.

He explained that the eviction has now forced them to live against their cultures as different generations, old and young, are confined in tiny structures.

They are now appealing to the government to reconsider that the forest is their ancestral home and allow them back pledging that they will contribute to conservation efforts. “We have been stripped of our dignity as a community and human beings. We are ready to go back to the forest if allowed for reforestation efforts and even earn the carbon credits,” said Memusi.

The community had in the early 2000s moved to the African Court of Justice in Arusha where they sought to be recognised as an indigenous community whose ancestral home is Mau Forest.

Despite the court ruling in their favour in 2017, the Kenyan government has disregarded the orders with a series of evictions persisting in different parts of the Mau Forest complex. “We are not happy with the way the government has been treating us. Our rights have been and continue to be violated without anyone apart from ourselves voicing our plight,” he said.

President William Ruto recently announced that Kenya may exit from the Arusha court pact should the court fail to lift a caveat it imposed on land following the case by the Ogiek community further dimming their hopes for reparation.

Joeseph Ruali, an elder, said the eviction had not only caused them emotional pain but also economic losses as their children’s education came to a halt.

“Without peace of mind, there is no way we can restart our lives out here. Our children are struggling to resume learning in the new environment. Our future is bleak,” said Ruali.

Stephen Kotioka, another evictee said he is among those who were evicted due to unclear forest boundaries which continue to shift in every review.