Uphold the judgments of the African Court on Peoples and Human Rights IPRI condemns the forced eviction of the Ogiek people which started today. More than 700 Ogiek men, women and children are now displaced with nowhere to go. This violent attack is unjust and in direct violation to the rights of the Ogiek people. We appeal to the government to stop the eviction and implement the decision of the African Court on Peoples and Human Rights as a matter of its obligation. Gotop Sogoot Council of Elders alias Ogiek Council of Elders To: His Excellency, Dr. William Samoei Ruto, CGH. President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-chief of the Defence Forces, State House P.O. Box 40530-00100 NAIROBI Cc: Hon orable Soipan Tuya, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Abdi Hassan, Regional Commissioner for Rift Valley, Mercy Kalondu Wambua, OGW Chief Executive Officer, Commission on Administrative Justice. Alex Lemarkoko, Chief Conservator of Forests, Kenya Forest Service. Prof. Julius Gordon Tanui, PhD, EBS Chief Executive Officer Kenya Water Towers Agency. Dr. Bernard Mogesa PhD, CPM Chief Executive Officer, Kenya National Commission on Human Rights Betty Sungura-Nyabuto, MBS Chief Executive Officer, National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) Isaac Masinde Narok County Commissioner RE: CEASE EVICTION ORDERS FROM THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND THE IMPENDING VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS MAU OGIEK PEOPLES; UPHOLD THE 2017 AND 2022 JUDGEMENTS OF THE AFRICAN COURT Your Excellency, The Ogiek community and allies from Kenya and the international community are deeply concerned about the eviction order issued by the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Soipan Tuya. We understand that the directive provides authority to the Regional Commissioner for Rift Valley to remove “trespassers” from the Mau Forest. Although the Ogiek are not trespassers on this land and have in fact been legally recognised as its owners, we are gravely concerned that this directive will lead to the illegal eviction of approximately 1500 indigenous Ogiek (including 400 women and 300 children), particularly those living in Nkareta and Sasimwani areas. Authorities have already started asking Ogiek community members to take their children and their valuables from their homes before the impending eviction. These orders were given on the morning of 26 October 2023. In May 2017, the African Court on Peoples and Human Rights upheld our rights to our traditional lands in Mau Forest, including Sasimwani and Nkareta. The Court recognised the Ogiek as legal owners of the Mau Forest and found that our rights to property and natural resources under the African Charter, among other issues, have long been violated by the Kenyan Government. [1] Moreover, in June 2022, the Court ordered the Government of Kenya to undertake ‘an exercise of delimitation, demarcation and communal land titling in order to protect the Ogiek peoples’ right to property, which in this case revolves around their occupation, use and enjoyment of the Mau Forest and its various resources.’ [2] The Court required that this exercise should be undertaken in consultation with the Ogiek. The Court’s judgment must be applied in the case of the Ogiek lands of Sasimwani and Nkareta. The Court also directed the Government not to repeat any further violations of the Ogiek’s rights. In an effort to see the Court’s orders implemented and the evictions prevented, our elders and leaders have engaged with the Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ), Kenya Forest Service (KFS), Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) and National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) in Nairobi. The Ogiek community members from Sasimwani have also appealed to the Narok County Commissioner, Isaac Masinde. But so far, our efforts have not yielded to anything fruitful. Your Excellency, Kenya has ratified core international human rights instruments, among them the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, all of which impose duties and obligations on Kenya in relation to Indigenous Peoples’ rights. Kenya is internationally recognized as a leading advocate in the fight against climate change in Africa. We believe the eviction order is linked to the protection of Kenya´s water towers, a conservation initiative for the Mau Forest’s supposed protection. The Kenyan Government has recognised in the past that the presence of the Ogiek in their traditional lands in Mau Forest is not linked to negative impacts in the forest, but mostly due to logging licenses and illegal trespassers. The African Court specifically recognised in its May 2017 judgment that conservation of the Mau Forest does not justify evicting the Ogiek. Indigenous peoples have long been rights holders recognized by the international community. They are recognized as leaders in conservation and strategic allies in addressing the global environmental and climate change challenges we face. The order to evict the Ogiek is contrary to Kenya’s obligations under international human rights law, its compliance with African Court judgments, its commitments on environmental issues, and its advocacy to combat climate change. We ask Your Excellency to cease the eviction order, thus avoiding human rights violations of the indigenous Ogiek and Mau Forest communities. We urge the opening of a space for dialogue with the Ogiek for the implementation of the 2017 and 2022 judgments of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Respectfully,John Lobolo Sironga, Chairperson – Ogiek National Council of EldersWilson Memusi, Chairperson – Ogiek Council Narok ChapterMartin Kiptiony Lele, Secretary – Ogiek Council of EldersDaniel Kobei, Executive Director – Ogiek Peoples Development Program, OPDPJoan Carling, Executive Director – Indigenous Peoples Rights International, IPRI Leonidas Iza Salazar, Chairperson, CONAIE, Ecuador Chandra Singh Kulung, Chairperson, Nepal Kirat Kulung Bhasa Sanskriti Utthan Sangh, Nepal Kathrin Wessendorf, Executive director, IWGIA, Denmark Dilip Chakma, National Coordinator, Indigenous Rights Advocacy Centre, India Michelin Sallata, Chairperson, Barisan Pemuda Adat Nusantara, Indonesia Nukila Evanty, Executive Director, Inisiasi Masyarakat Adat (IMA), Indonesia Rukka Sombolinggi, Secretary General, Indigenous Peoples’ Alliance of the Archipelago (Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara/AMAN), Indonesia Pallab Chakma, Executive Director, Kapaeeng Foundation, Bangladesh Bouba Njobdi Amadou, Executive Director, Lelewal Foundation, Cameroon Dr. Deborah S. Rogers, President, Initiative for Equality James Forole Jarso, Founder & Executive Director, Saku Accountability Forum (SAF), Kenya Edgardo Benítez Maclin, President, Instituto para el Futuro Común Amerindio IFCA, Honduras Fidèle Mbilizi Mutimanwa, Directeur Pool Est, Ligue Nationale des Associations Autochtones Pygmées du Congo, Congo-Kinshasa Ingrid García Minda, Directora Ejecutiva, INREDH, Ecuador Audace Kubwimana, Africa Regional Coordinator, International Land Coalition (ILC), Kenya Dr. Rosalee Gonzalez, Co-Coordinator, North Región, Continental Network of Indigenous Women of the Americas, USA Kepa Fernández de Larrinoa, Director, Lera-Ikergunea, Nafarroa Juana Vera Delgado, Director, Water Justice and Gender Jackson Shaa, Executive Director, Narasha Community Development Community, Kenya Diana Villalobos Díaz, Director, Consultoría Técnica Comunitaria, A.C., Mexico Isela González Díaz, Director, Alianza Sierra Madre, Mexico Colin Nicholas, Coordinator, Center for Orang Asli Concerns, Malaysia Gibran Abubakar, Legal Officer, NCIP Basilan, Philippines John Cunnington, Senior RD Advisor, Development Alternatives, United Kingdom Patricia Borraz Fernández , ALMACIGA Grupo de Trabajo Intercultural, Spain Citlalli Hernández Saad, National Coordinator, IPRI México, Mexico Rehanna Thomas, Policy Officer, Kayonok Council, Guyana Sonia Hernández, Coordinator, Misioneras de la Inmaculada Concepción, Venezuela Perla Medina, Director, Somos Viento, Mexico Gwendolyn Gaongen, Station Manager, Radyo Sagada, Philippines Meena Kumari Lama, Administrative and Finance Officer, National Indigenous Women’s Federation-NIWF, Nepal Yannick Lokima Ramazani, Avocat près la cour d’appel de la tshopo, Étoiles du sud, République démocratique du Congo Frances Jenner, Forest Peoples Programme, United Kingdom Margarita Pineda Rodríguez, Secretary of minutes and agreements, Murilpaz:mujeres referentes indígenas lencas paz, Honduras Mina Beyan, Program Director, Social Entrepreneurs for Sustainable Development, Liberia Shanta Ruth Odera, Programme Officer, National Gender and Equality Commission, Kenya Rigan Chakma, Research Assistant, FGCSS, Germany Francisco Soares, Staff Member, Azimuth World Foundation, United States of America Carla Santos, Grants Manager, Azimuth World Foundation, Portugal Jiten Yumnam, Secretary, Centre for Research and Advocacy Manipur, India Evangelina Contreras Ceja, Deputy Director, Desaparecidos de la costa y feminicidios de Michoacán, Mexico Maaike Hendriks, senior program coordinator, Both ENDS, Netherlands Joseph ITONGWA, Directeur Exécutif National, ANAPAC-RDC, RDC Diana Mendoza, Iwgia, Colombia Ivonne Arroyo, Consejero, Contec, Mexico Ram kumar Tamang, Spokeperson, Struggle Against Marginalization of Nationalities (SAMAN-Nepal), Nepal Horacio Lagunas Cerda, Secretario, Fideicomiso de Desarrollo Comunitario de Mogótavo, Mexico James Christopher Desmoulin, Member, Biitigong Nishnaabeg, Canada Nicole Redvers, Board member, Arctic Indigenous Wellness Foundation, Canada Monika Rajput, Local Deligated, Parents for Future, Germanx Brijlal Chaudhari, President, Global Home for Indigenous Peoples, France Robie Halip, Right Energy Partnership with Indigenous Peoples (REP), Philippines Leonor Zalabata, Defensora de Derechos Humanos, CIT Pueblo indígena Arhuaco, Colombia Datu Edelverios A. Paundog, Rajah Datu, Rajagnate of Sanmalan / Subano Tribe, Philippines Gasselin Sacha, Secretaire, T’as quel âge ?, France Alexandra Tomaselli, Senior Researcher, Eurac Research, Italy Daniella Vanêssa Abrantes Martins, Sócia administradora, Mira Socioambiental, Brasil Cornelia Flora, Distinguished Professor Emerit, Iowa State University, USA Coro Jimenénez-Arellano, Coordinadora, Kolonialismo Osteko Ikasketa Zentroa Elkartea, País Vasco Aminatu Gambo, Program Officer, IWBN, Cameroon Jean Claude Kalingsnire, Représentant Légal, ADBR, Rwanda Pirita Näkkäläjärvi, Doctoral Researcher, University of the Arts Helsinki, Finland Ivette Gonzalez, , Proyecto sobre Organización, Desarrollo, Educación e Investigación (PODER), Mexico Cecilia Maho, , El Pueblo Indígena Bubi de la Isla de Bioko, Isla Bioko John Cunnington, DIRECTOR, Development ALTERNATIVES, United Kingdom Levi Sucre Romero, Director General, Alianza Mesoamericana de Pueblos y Bosques, Mesoamérica Colin Nicholas, Coordinator, Center for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC), Malaysia Bipin Jojo, convenor, Sundargargh Adivasi Manch, India CIZA Charles, Président et Représentant Légal, Action Batwa Pour Le Développement Intégral et l’Assistance Aux Vulnérables, Burundi Margarita Pineda Rodríguez, Secretaria de actas y acuerdos, Murilpaz :mujeres referentes indígenas lencas paz, Departamento de la Paz Honduras Centro America Signe Leth, Senior advisor, IWGIA, Danmark Meena Kumari Lama, Administrative and Finance Officer, National Indigenous Women’s Federation-NIWF, Nepal Núria Reguart-Segarra, Lecturer, Universitat Jaume I, Spain Md. Ilias Miah, Chief Executive, Centre for Environment, Human Rights & Development Forum – CEHRDF, Bangladesh Belkacem Lounes, Président, Congrès Mondial Amazigh, Algérie Tshepo Nnini Fokane, Acting National Coordinator, Alliance for Rural Democracy, South Africa Lokima Ramazani Yannick, Avocat près la cour d’appel de la tshopo, Étoiles du sud, République démocratique du Congo Paul Belisario, Coordinator, International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL), Philippines Akina Singh Suwal, Vice-president, Forum for Indigenous Girls (FIG) Nepal, Nepal Buddha Tsering Moktan, Director, Struggle Against Marginalization of Nationalities, Nepal Julie Marion, Donor Relations Manager, IWGIA, Denmark Dulcy Cotes, Coordinadora zona Ríohacha, Fuerza de Mujeres Wayuú, Colombia Bernice See, Chair, Board of Trustees, Indigenous Peoples Rights International, Philippines Kay Kimura, Pirika, JP Yasso Kanti Bhattachan, Vicechair, National Indigenous Women Forum (NIWF), Nepal Floralie Dupré, ENS de Lyon, France Cecilie Guldager Søborg, Iwgia, Denmark Shawna Farrell, Owner, LotusOak, USA Natalia Jones Herrero, Advocacy associate, Cultural Survival, Spain Nataly Allasi Canales, Researcher, University of Copenhagen, Denmark Smriti Rijal, Co-founder, Project Loud, 106 Lene Rønnest, member, IWGIA, Denmark Mathilde Roza, Professor, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands Knud Klarskov Vilby, Danmark Mary Taylor, IWGIA, Italy Cathrine Bye, IWGIA, Norway jenneke arens, occhtc, netherlands Bhim Rai, Secretary, LAHURNIP, Nepal Annika Friese, IWGIA, Germany Laura Nieto Sanabria, Colectivo de Solidaridad en la Acción, México Joel Ortega Erreguerena, Professor, UNAM, México Jenny Davies, Internews, England Wolfgang Kuhlmann, Policy Director, Global Forest Coalition, The Netherlands Otto R. Wellington, WWF, Liechtenstein Diana Vinding Bergsoe, International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), Denmark Sujina Dhonju, Student, Kathmandu School of Law, Nepal Lisi WahlKleiser, Independent Researcher, Social Medicine, United States Claudio Figueroa, Integrante Área Acción par la Defensa del Territorio, Instituto Mexicano para el Desarrollo Comunitario, México Edgardo Benítez Maclin, Presidente, Instituto para el Futuro Común Amerindio IFCA, Honduras Miriam Pelis Shog-oy, Katinnulong Daguiti Umili iti Amianan, Inc. (KADUAMI), Philippines Ariong Geoffrey Lokol, Executive Director, Agency for Turkana Development Initiatives-ATUDIS, Kenya Matiur Rahman, Working President, Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha, the Indigenous Peoples Confederation of Assam, India Morgane Jaouen, Terra omnius, France Maireth Sampayo, Comunicadora social, Ipri, Colombia Sonia Catalina Fracica, Coordinación técnica, IPRI Colombia, Colombia Arukingumu Torres, Coordinación General, IPRI Colombia, Colombia Joven Jacolbia, University of the Philippines, Philippines LJ Queroljico, Rotary Club of Metro Escolta, Philippines Luis, En contra, Ñamarines por el mundo, Ecuador Andy Wanning, Administrative Officer, Tribal Link Foundation, USA Nanki Wampankit, Former CONFENIAE’s Territory Leader, Confeniae, Ecuador Natalia Ramírez Gutiérrez, LatAM Comms, IPRI, Mexico Cynthia VonHolt-Cheyne, The Grail, USA Princess Monique Aldaba, Finance Staff, Indigenous Peoples Rights International, Philippines Lazarus Joseph, South Africa Josephine Chiname, Zimbabwe Aaliya Hong, United States Alice Carey, UK Zugeith Carine Soleno Arias, Colombia Daniel Vargas, Mexico Camille Parguel, Sweden María Benítez, Mexico Andreas Bethmann, Germany Marius, Denmark Jorge Hernández, México Daniel Etter, United States Margareta Nilsson, artist, Sweden Anne-Marie Tupuola-Plunkett, USA — [1] https://www.african-court.org/cpmt/details-case/0062012 [2] https://www.african-court.org/cpmt/storage/app/uploads/public/62b/44e/f59/62b44ef59e0bc692084052.pdf
