The forsaken community

Business

By Vitalis Kimutai and Titus Too

They have lost count of the days they have gone without food. Women trek long distances to fetch water. The sick walk across a 20km rough terrain to seek treatment at Maraba health centre in Nandi South District.

This is the story of hundreds of Ogiek (Ndorobo) families at Ng’atipkong village in Tinderet District. They were evicted four years ago from Kipkurere and Cerengonik forests along the common borders of Nandi and Uasin Gishu districts.

The evictees have not been resettled despite a presidential directive issued through Head of Civil Service Francis Muthaura.

Worse still, after their eviction, the Government is yet to rehabilitate the land they once occupied.

Usila Koech outside her hut.

Jane Too during the interview. [PHOTOS: VITALIS KIMUTAI/STANDARD]

The families were evicted from the forest to protect water sources.

Today, the families live in temporary structures on land donated by a Good Samaritan, Mrs Ann Chepkwony, a primary school teacher. Having no place to bury their dead, they asked their host if she could allow them use part of the land as a graveyard. About 12 of their departed loved ones have been buried there.

Kiperem Yego, 75, said they have resigned to fate since humanitarian agencies and the Government have abandoned them.

On many nights they brave low temperatures and having no proper bedding worsens the situation.

Ageing grandparents look after toddlers while the youth work as farm hands.

"It seems the Government has forgotten us. Five years ago, they set ablaze our dwellings in the forest, uprooted our crops and pushed us to a road reserve with the promise we would be resettled," said Yego.

Initially, he said, they relied on tents, clothing, food and drugs from the Red Cross but the supply has since stopped.

Yego said the evictees have lived in the forest for ages and relied on trees for medicine, fruits and honey.

"The graves of our ancestors are in the forest and we have been forced to abandon them," said Mzee Paul Kurgat.

They criticised the Narc Government for ejecting them from the forest where the colonial Government had allowed them to stay.

No Latrines

"Even subsequent governments of Kenyatta and Moi did not touch us," said Jane Too.

"We were recently warned of El Nino rains and we have been living in fear of landslides and water-borne diseases because there are no latrines in this camp," she added.

Ms Eunice Ruto said unless the Government resettles them, they would not participate in next year’s referendum and the 2012 General Election.

"We believe we were evicted because we voted against the constitutional draft in the 2005 referendum and there is no need to participate in the forthcoming exercise unless we are resettled."

"Why do we make people who do not care about our plight ascend to power? What is the purpose of taking part in a constitutional review process or an election when no one cares about us?" posed Ruto.

When our team visited the camp, Mrs Eusila Koech, a mother of six, was huddled in a makeshift structure with water boiling in the fireplace but no flour to cook ugali for the family. Holding her one-month-old baby boy, Eusila said going without food is now normal and children have learnt to put up with the hunger pangs.

"It is a year since the Red Cross, the only organisation that responded to our plight, gave us food rations," said Eusila as her baby struggled to suckle.

Koech, a mother of eight, said despite their eviction, the Government has not planted trees in the area. "Even the shamba system, which had been in practice since colonial days, was halted," said Eusila. During rains the families put up with water leaking into their structures. "During heavy rains, we all crowd into porous structures and it is worse at night as we have to keep on our feet," said Mr Michael Bett. Bett said the families have sold all their cows, goats, sheep and donkeys to buy food.

Deaths

One of the camps has been named Kampi Raila, after Prime Minister Raila Odinga. "Raila visited the area with Mr Omingo Magara, Mr William Ruto and area MP Henry Kosgey and promised that if we voted for him, he would end our suffering," he said.

And several deaths have occurred at the camp. An old man, Laban Misoi, died after feasting on the carcass of a cow suspected to have died of anthrax. Another old man, Tapturu Langat, was strangled at his make shift structure by his sons who were depressed over the eviction and demanded that their father finds them alternative land.

High school dropout rate among girls is common.

"Most girls are married off at an early age due to lack of fees and food while others are employed as maids," said Mr Patrick Tabut, the chairman of Ngatipkong/Kipkurere Ndorobo squatters.

Tabut said women fetch firewood from the forest and sell it for as little as between Sh10 and Sh20 to earn a living. Mr Reuben Koech, the secretary for Ngatipkong/Kipkurere Ndorobo welfare group, said leaders should be considerate and assist the Kipkurere squatters as they did to those evicted from Mau forest.

Koech absolved the Ogiek from accusations that they felled trees. He said individuals with connections indiscriminately destroyed the forest as Government officials watched.

"We were willing to assist the forest department plant and protect trees, but after our eviction, the area is now bare and the Kenya Forest Service does not even have tree nurseries to rehabilitate the forests," said Koech.

Tinderet District Commissioner Jacob Namulen confirmed that the families have been living outside the forest for the last three years.

"For the time I have been in the district, there have been correspondence concerning resettlement of the families but nothing concrete has come out of it," said Namulen.

The DC said the families were last given food rations by the Red Cross and World Food Programme in March.

Head of North Rift Conservancy Fred Ogombe said enough resources had not been allocated towards rehabilitation of the forest.

Ogombe said in an interview that tree planting was set to be rolled out through a partnership between the Government and the World Bank.

"More than 3,000 hectares had been destroyed by the settlers over the years and full rehabilitation would take time," he said.

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