Ogieks want ongoing 'suspect' land transactions probed

Members of the Ogiek community at a past function. Through the East Mau Ndorobo Group, the community has accused local chiefs of colluding with officials from the Ministry of Lands to dispose of land in the area. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The elders want those found culpable to be arrested and charged.
  • They also want NGOs formed supposedly to fight for their land rights investigated as their activities appear suspect.
  • The elders urged the President and his deputy to ignore requests of the NGOs for a meeting.
  • They said their problems still persist even as the NGOs hold "lavish" seminars in Nakuru to "fight" for Ogiek rights.

Elders from the minority Ogiek community in East Mau want the government to investigate the ongoing sale of land they claim is suspicious.

Through the East Mau Ndorobo Group, the community has accused local chiefs of colluding with officials from the Ministry of Lands to dispose off land in the area.

The group’s chairman, Mr Francis Rugira, and its secretary, Mr Geoffrey Gito, who spoke in Nakuru on Monday, also want NGOs formed supposedly to fight for their land rights investigated as their activities appear suspect.

“We were allocated land by former President Moi but before it could be subdivided, an NGO went to court and the process was stopped.

"They have used our names to obtain money, but we remain poor and landless,” said Mr Gito.

He added that all the court battles had seen peasant families contribute money that was allegedly used for the cases but they remained landless.

IGNORE NGOS

“In fact, we urge the President and his deputy to ignore requests of the NGOs for a meeting.

"If he needs to meet us, President Uhuru or his Deputy William Ruto should come to the ground and see what the chiefs have been doing, selling land to outsiders despite Mr Moi’s order that the same be given to us,” said Mr Rugira.

The two leaders also contested allegations that the Ogiek were marginalised people, saying successive regimes had always considered their plight only for their leaders to collude and dispose of land once it was acquired.

“The NGOs use the Ogiek name and take pictures of their woes which are sold to charities abroad for funds that hardly reach us.

"Our problems still persist as the NGOs who lavish seminars in Nakuru to ‘fight’ for our rights,” they said in a statement.

They said corruption allegations must be investigated first before allocation of land resumes in all parts of Mau, adding that the open-ended sanction granted to chiefs had also created a legal loophole for them to encroach on forest land.

They said those found culpable should be arrested and charged so as to clean up the exercise and allow genuine people to benefit, adding that currently outsiders who had money to buy land had greatly benefitted.