• The Ogiek community in Nakuru has rejected the government’s plan to subdivide Eastern Mau land,
  • They cite conflict with the E. African court ruling that recognized the forest as their ancestral home.
  • They demand a single mother title for the entire area.

The Eastern Mau Summit land ownership dispute is intensifying, with the Ogiek community opposing the government’s plan to subdivide the contested land.

Lands Principal Secretary Nixon Korir recently announced plans to deploy surveyors to begin land subdivision in two weeks, intending to issue title deeds to affected residents. Speaking in Kapsinendet, Marioshoni, on Friday 6th December, 2024, Korir revealed that Forestry PS Gitonga Mugambi had nominated an adjudicator to oversee the process alongside surveyors and community representatives.

Korir emphasized that the exercise would adhere to a court judgment by Justice Samson Mutungi, which recognized the 2001 cutline. The judgment excised 35,301 hectares for six settlement schemes and directed the government to ensure proper land ownership documentation within a year.

However, the Ogiek community has fiercely rejected the plan, citing a conflict with a ruling by the East African Court of Justice in Arusha. According to the Ogiek, the African court identified the land as their ancestral home and ordered the government to protect their rights as an indigenous forest community.

Speaking to the press on Monday 9, December 2024, Ogiek leader Joseph Lesingo criticized the government for prioritizing Justice Mutungi's judgment over the Arusha based East African court's directive. He stated that the community opposes the land subdivision, preferring a single title deed encompassing the entire area.

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Ogiek elder Simon Kiprotich reiterated their stance, noting that they have appealed Mutungi's judgment, which they claim failed to acknowledge the African court’s recognition of their ancestral land rights.

While the dispute points out the tension between national and regional legal decisions, the fate of Eastern Mau’s ownership is left uncertain,with the Ogiek vowing to continue their fight for what they call their rightful heritage.