In 9 months of pain for Ogiek families after the evacuations from Mau East

From a full life to dependence on aid supplies is the stark contrast in the story of hundreds of families from the Ogiek community evacuated from the 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 the Sasimwani water tower.

The minority community now living in squalor at the mercy of hospitable neighbors in Okirikirai, Narok North, say their only fault is their way of life as forest dwellers. “We have been turned into IDPs in our own country, now living in temporary shelters along roads, churches and in local community houses,” said Wilson Memusi, their president.

The families staged peaceful demonstrations in Okirikirai, calling on the government to come to the rescue after more than nine months of suffering in the cold.

During the displacement in November 2023, the families had their houses destroyed by KFS officers, leaving them to count heavy losses.

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

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 the fact that the forest is their ancestral home and allow them back, pledging to contribute to conservation efforts. “We have been stripped of our dignity as a community and as human beings. We are ready to go back to the forest if we allow our reforestation efforts and even earn the carbon credits,” said Memusi.

In the early 2000s, the community moved to the African Court of Justice in Arusha, where it sought recognition as an indigenous community whose ancestral home is the Mau Forest.

Despite a court ruling in their favor in 2017, the Kenyan government has flouted the orders, with a series of evictions continuing in various parts of the Mau Forest complex. “We are not happy with the way the government has treated us. Our rights have been and continue to be violated without anyone but us voicing our plight,” he said.

President William Ruto recently announced that Kenya could pull out of the pact with the Arusha court if the court fails to lift a caveat it has placed on the land following the case from the Ogiek community, which has blacked them out and more the hopes of repair.

Joeseph Ruali, an elder, said the eviction not only caused them emotional pain but also economic loss as their children’s education stopped.

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

Stephen Kotioka, another evacuee, said he was among those evicted because of the unclear boundaries of the forests, which keep changing with every analysis.