Ogiek Community Push to Save What Time and Policy Could Erase

The Ogiek community has recommended for increased acknowledgment of their cultural identity, land rights, and environmental contributions. This was highlighted during the Ogiek Cultural Festival event held in Nkareta Narok on August 16, 2025, that united leaders, elders, and government representatives to honor their heritage and advocate for justice.

During the Ogiek Cultural Festival, Mr Daniel Kobei, the Director of the Ogiek Peoples’ Development Program (OPDP), pointed out that official documentation of communities has historically secluded smaller ones.

“Smaller communities such as the Ogiek, which we are celebrating today, were not recognized as one of the Kenyan ethnic groups,” Kobei said.

For long Ogiek have been viewed simply as a clan, even though according to Kobei, they embody a whole community, highlighting Ogiek’s significant relationship with nature in conservation.

He also called on national leaders to promote inclusivity, and diversity which is the only way a nation can progress. The Ogiek Festival brought together elders, youth, and policymakers, to showcase the community’s commitment to preserving its culture and safeguarding its future.

Lawoy Josphat Lodea, who leads the Minority and Marginalized Affairs Unit in the President's Office, established to precisely tackle past exclusion said it is focusing on addressing the needs of minority communities and those that are marginalized, noting that past government policies fueled discrimination against the Ogiek and other minorities.

“Smaller communities like Ogiek, that we are here today celebrating their culture, were not listed as one of the Kenyan communities. They were left in the whims of the others, like they are a clan, and yet they are a whole community,” he said.

The festival served not only for exhibition of Ogiek’s traditions but also to promote awareness that this community require recognition today, so that in the future people will understand the Ogiek people way of life, possessing unique culture, their own language, and distinct customs.

Lodea characterized the Ogiek as the inherent guardians of the forest, stating that the Ogiek did not find the forest; rather, the forest found them in existence.

He stated that the government is taking steps to restore their rights to the land reiterating its dedication to reinstating and legally safeguarding community land rights in accordance with the Community Land Act of 2016.

The act serves as an important legal framework that recognizes community possession of land and allows for its management and protection by the communities themselves. The focus on executing the Arusha Ruling by the African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights was also emphasized.