Country:

Kenya

Region:

Africa

Date:

March 30, 2020

Implementor:

Katiba Institute and Collaborators: CIPDP, SIPP, FPP, FIPN

Funding Amount:

$39,441

Details:

Project Description: This project aimed to secure the land tenure of the Sengwer and Mt. Elgon Ogiek forest peoples to as much as possible of 200,000 hectares of their ancestral forest lands. It also indirectly advanced the recognition and restitution of up to around a further 500,000 hectares of land claimed by Kenya’s other forest peoples.

Evidence of Impact:

This Strategic Response Mechanism helped secure customary tenure for the Sengwer and Mt. Elgon Ogiek forest peoples in Kenya by achieving the following outcomes:

-Enabled legal support and representation in Kenyan courts (to secure precedent setting court decisions) for Sengwer and Ogiek of Mt. Elgon communities in addition to contributing to the Mau decision Task Force to enable positive change.

-Providing legal support to fight three court cases, including supplementary affidavits of community members and experts, draft statements and updated court files, and the facilitation of community members to appear in court.

– The cases contributed to communities’ elaboration of a memorandum which was submitted to the attention of the Kenyan Government Task Force on the Implementation of the Decision of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the case of Ogienk on Mt. Elgon.

-Mau Task Force visited the Senger, Mt Elgon, and Kapsolwony where community members made oral and written submissions about conservation and management of the forests.