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Kenyan
government set to destroy honey-hunting tribe
by Survival International
(December
5, 2001) The Kenyan government are defying international law and
a ruling by their own High Court by opening up for development
a protected area of forest which is home to the Ogiek tribe. Despite
threats from local authorities, this week the Ogiek have announced
they will take the government officials who are responsible to
court.
"No amount
of intimidation will deter us from demanding our God-given right
within the constitution," said an Ogiek elder speaking to a local
head of government.
Survival,
the worldwide organization supporting tribal peoples, will launch
a letter writing campaign tomorrow in support of the rights of
the Ogiek to their land. This hunter-gatherer tribe, who number
about 20,000 are famous for collecting honey from beehives which
they place in the high branches of the forest trees. The Ogiek
have lived since time immemorial in the Mau mountain forest overlooking
Kenya's Rift Valley. This is a protected area under Kenya's Forest
Act. But now the Kenyan government is planning to open nearly
60,000 hectares of it up to developers such as tea planters and
loggers, along with settlers from elsewhere in the country.
International
law states that all tribal peoples have the right to own their
land. In January the Kenya High Court issued an order halting
the opening of 35,000 hectares in East Mau, but the government
has ignored this.
Allowing
outsiders into the Mau forest is in fact part of a vote-catching
scheme to open up around one tenth of Kenya's forests for settlement
— the Mau forest makes up a large proportion of the total
area being opened up. The tragedy is that if the government's
scheme goes ahead, the Ogiek will simply join the numbers of Kenya's
dispossessed and die out as a people.
While claiming
that the forest needs protection from these hunter gatherers,
who have always managed it sustainably, the Kenyan government
allows three powerful logging companies to operate within the
area.
The plan
also threatens Kenya's environment and economy, as the country's
most important rivers flow from the Mau forest, and may shrink
or dry up with the loss of tree cover. Among the places which
may be affected are such favourite tourist destinations as the
Maasai Mara and Lake Nakuru, famous for its flamingos.
Photos are
available. For more information please call +(44-20) 7687-8700
or email vl@survival-international.org.
Survival International is a worldwide organization supporting
tribal peoples. It stands for their right to decide their own
future and helps them protect their lives, lands and human rights.
Article by Survival
International, 6 Charterhouse Buildings, London EC1M 7ET,
England. Phone: +(44-20) 7687-8700. Fax: +(44-20) 7687-8701. General
inquiries: info@survival-international.org.
http://www.survival-international.org
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