Kenyan Forest Dwellers Face
Eviction
OGIEK Action Alert 23. 05. 2000
ECOTERRA North America
Background
Kenyan Forest Dwellers Face Eviction
The Ogiek people are a minority
forest dwelling community residing
in the Tinet since time immemorial. Since 1939,
there have been
attempts by successive political regimes in Kenya to remove the
Ogiek from their ancestral homelands, often forcibly.
The Ogiek Ogiek people like other
Kenyans had a well defined land
tenure system based on the clan-family holding of land. The
unfortunate fact is that today the Ogiek have been pushed in the
last forest belt of the former Mighty Mau and Mt. Egon Forets.(
The
Tinet forest, about 250 kilometers west of Nairobi, is part of
the
much larger and fast disappering forest of the Mau Forest)
The Ogieks effort to hold onto
ther h homelands is being challenged
by the state which has systematically degazetted the forest
areas
and allocated big parcels fo former forest lands to the ruling
elites, in addition to the licensing logging in the forests to
the
level of total destruction.We are asking for your
important
participation in an International Letter Writing Campaign in
helping to adovcate for the Ogiek Tribespeople. Your letters are
needed and are crucial to ensuring the future of the Ogiek.
Sincerely,
Redwood Mary,
Julia Butterfly Hill
Rabbi Michael Lerner
etc.
Please write a letter or create a
petition on behalf of the Ogiek
community. Talking points for your letter and or petition are
listed below.
Please send a copy of each letter
and or petition that you create
to the addresses listed.
Please note that airmail postage applies to ensure delivery to
Kenya.
Sample Letter:
Dear_______
It has come to my (our) attention
that the Ogiek Community residing
in the Mau and Mt. Elgon forets have no guarentee to their
ancestral homelands. The seizure and loss of the Ogiek forest
lands
began in 1939 and still continues today.
Kenya ratified the International
Covenant on Economics, Social &
Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil &
Political
Rights. PLease uphold Kenya's responsibility as obliged by
inernational law to respect, protect and fufill the rights of
the
Ogiek people to their homeland
settlements.
The Ogiek need your assistance in
the protection of what is left of
their natural forest habitat.
As long as the Ogiek Community
have no guarentee to their rightful
homelands and natural forest settlements their human rights will
be
continued to be violated.
Please address the grievances of these marginalized people and
formulate and implement a policy framework that takes into
account
the security of the Ogiek housing and land rights.
Please take immediate action to
guarentee the Ogiek Community a
formalized self determining settlement and tenure process.
The remaining forest must
not be further sacrificed to huge
logging operations, the cultivation of tea plantations and
intensive cultivation of flowers for export.
In closing we are asking you to
do everything in your power to stop
the eviction and displacement of the 5,000 Ogiek
tribespeople.
Sincerely,
Your Name,Affilaition (if any) Address and Country
Mail your letters and or
petitions to:
Honorable Daniel T. Arap Moi
President of Kenya
Harambee House
P.O. Box 30510
Nairobi, Kenya
Mr. Amos Wako
The Attorney General
State Law Office
P.O. Box 40112
Nairobi, Kenya
Mr. Bernrd Chunga
The Chief Justice, Law Courts
P.O. Box 30187
Nairobi, Kenya
Mr. Charles Njonjo
The Chairperson
Land Review Commission
c/o Ministry of Lands & Settlement
P.O.Box 30450
Nairobi, Kenya
... and please copy to us:
ECOTERRA International
U.S.A. Node
c/o Plight Of The Redwoods Campaign
P.O. Box 2856
Ft. Bragg CA 95437 USA
For more background or to be kept
on email alert about the Ogiek Situation
contact: redwoodmary@pocketmail.com
or send a self addressed stamped envelope to
ECOTERRA Intl., USA Node,
c/o Plight of The Redwoods Campaign,
P.O; Box 2856,
Ft.Bragg CA 95437
