The Ogiek community in Kenya has continued to decry the continued destruction of Mau Forest with its impact already being felt on the indigenous community.
The Community whose members are a hunter gatherer group and solely depend on the forest for food, medicine, shelter and preservation of their culture are now a worried lot over the same.
Majority of its members live in Mau forest, in the Great Rift Valley region, being the largest and the only remaining forest dwellers in Kenya.
However, the community argues that the destruction of the Mau Forest has had negative impacts on their culture.
According to Ms Leah Kawawa, as a community they used not to visit hospitals as they could get some medicinal ingredients from various indigenous trees in the forest.
Ms Kawawa who resides in Nessuit, Njoro sub county of Nakuru is however quick to note that with the invasion of the forest by destroyers of environment, life has never been the same with the community now unable to live as per their culture.
She says all the indigenous trees that were a source of medicinal are no longer available due to the destruction of the Mau forest.
“We used to get medicine from various indigenous trees but right now you cannot get any due to the destruction” Kawawa says.
As a community who relied on hunting and gathering in the forest for their daily meal which was basically meat and honey, it now says with the destruction of the forest they have been various diseases.
“We used no to have diseases since we had plenty of honey and meat from the forest. But at the moment diseases are rampant,” noted Kawawa.
Despite the Constitution of Kenya advocating for equal rights and welfare of the indigenous and minority people, the Ogiek community is still a forgotten lot.
The Jubilee administration while advocating for the Big 4 agenda among them the universal healthcare, the Ogiek Community in Kenya is yet to feel this with zero access to healthcare still being experienced.
A few health facilities in Nessuit and Mariashoni where the Ogiek reside are very far and according to Ms Leah it hinders their access to health services.
“The few hospitals here are very far. At times women succumb while trying to reach the facilities for services,” says Ms Leah.
The Ogiek however have hopes that one day they will return to their ancestral land in the Mau Forest complex. This even as the implementation of a landmark judgment, delivered on May 26, 2017 by the Arusha-based African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which directed the Kenyan government to resettle thousands of members of the community still yet to be implemented.
Led by John Logolong Serongao, the community appeals to the government to expedite the process and ensure justice for the Ogiek.
It should be noted that after the Arusha ruling, the government formed a taskforce to look into the implementation.
The task force term is coming to an end this October.
However, through the Ogiek Peoples’ Development Program, the Ogiek Community in collaboration with other stakeholders has embarked on the rehabilitation of the Mau Forest.
Already several indigenous trees have been planted at Sigaon area of the Mau Forest.
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