Copyright 2001 OneWorld.net
October 31, 2001
By Alison Raphael, OneWorld.net

Indigenous Kenyans are crying foul in response to a surprise government move to reclassify more than 170,000 acres of public forest land for private use.

The government of President Daniel arap Moi announced this week that it will reclassify the land, despite a court case brought by the Ogiek community scheduled for a hearing November 21.

Professor Wangari Maathai, an environmentalist working with Kenya's Greenbelt Movement, called the government agencies involved with the land deal "greedy and corrupt." The decision to privatize the forest, she said, confirms that "the leadership in the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources is very irresponsible."

Most of the land in question is located in the Mau Forest of Kenya's Great Rift Valley. The Ogiek people who live in the forest have been fighting government moves to deprive them of their home and cultural heritage since February. But their court case has been postponed several times and they have been under pressure from provincial authorities to drop it.

In mid-October the Ogiek Welfare Council, the key complainant in the court case, claimed that members of the community had received threats for continuing with the case. An Ogiek elder reportedly told the authorities that "no amount of intimidation will deter us from demanding our God-given right within the constitution."

The Greenbelt Movement filed a separate suit but their file went missing from the High Court, according to Professor Maathai. She and others accuse the government of using public land to reward political favors.

Environmentalists are concerned because the Mau forest is home to endangered species such as the Bongo, as well as several rare primate species. It is a also the catchment area for some of Kenya's largest rivers.

An opposition deputy is urging Kenyans to resist the government plan. "They should organize themselves and...physically eject surveyors and allottees," said Paul Muite.

Earlier this month an unfavorable High Court ruling on a similar case opened the way for the government's actions this week which some fear could fuel a more bloody conflict in Kenya over land, indigenous rights, and environmental protection. Error: Unable to read footer file.