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| Ogiek man, Kenya
© Virginia Lulling/Survival |
Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi has been exposed as one of the main
beneficiaries of a controversial plan to cut down nearly 70,000 hectares
(170,000 acres) of Kenya's remaining forest, much of it in the Mau forest, home
of Kenya's Ogiek tribe. The clearance was touted as a scheme to provide land for
Kenya's landless poor, but now documents leaked to the Nairobi 'Daily Nation'
show that the real beneficiaries are President Moi and other members of the
political elite.
The Ogiek, who number about 20,000, are hunter-gatherers, famous as
collectors of honey from beehives which they place in the high branches of the
forest trees. When the plan was announced to hand out their land to setters from
outside, the Ogiek protested desperately. Joseph Towett of the Ogiek Welfare
Council said, 'Settlement of other people in our midst would mean that
the Ogiek culture would cease. We will be wiped out.'
It was in October 2001 that the then Environment Minister, Noah Katana Ngala,
ratified the order to 'degazette' 4% of Kenya's state-protected forest, opening
it for settlement. But now it seems that much of the forest was shared out years
before and mostly in secret. The degazettement was simply a ruse to legitimise
it. Among those named as owning large chunks of forest land are President Moi,
the present Environment Minister Joseph Kamotho, and former First Lady Mama
Ngina Kenyatta. Mr Kamotho has denied any knowledge of this.
Environmentalists say that cutting down the highland forests threatens
Kenya's water supply, as the forests are the source of the country's main
rivers. The drying up of rivers has recently caused serious power rationing,
since Kenya derives much of its electricity generation from hydropower.
On 21 February the Kenya High Court will hear the case that one Ogiek group
is bringing for the right to live on their land in the East Mau forest.
Survival's director Stephen Corry says, 'The Ogiek, who never damaged
the forest, have been evicted from it time and again, while the powerful are
allowed to take it over and destroy the natural heritage of these
people.'
Photos and maps available to the press: contact Virginia Luling (+44)
(0)79500 71236 or email mr@survival-international.org
