4th Anniversary of the ACHPR ruling in favour of the Ogiek Peoples
4 years ago, the Ogiek people of Kenya won a ground-breaking court case at the African Court for Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR). The Ogiek People is an indigenous hunter/gatherer people who have for many years suffered from human rights violations and evictions from their ancestral land in the Mau Forest in western Kenya.
In May 2017, the ACHPR ruled in their favour and the Ogiek were acknowledged as indigenous and won both compensation from the government of Kenya and the right to stay in the Mau Forest. The big window of opportunity now—and the challenge—is to have the judgement implemented.
IWGIA has since 2010 consistently supported the Ogiek people through support to their organization, Ogiek People Development Program (OPDP), at local, national and international level. IWGIA has supported the Ogiek to secure their land tenure rights through rights awareness activities in the Ogiek communities, community organizing and empowerment, documenting of violations of their rights in the Mau Forest, supporting groundwork for the ACHPR legal case, advocating for their rights towards duty bearers and facilitating their participation at relevant institutions such as the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights and ACHPR.
IWGIA stands with the Ogiek (#istandwiththeogiek) and continue its support for the implementation of the ruling.
Tags: ACHPR