Ogiek women celebrate inclusion in land distribution

Members of Ogiek community in Mt Elgon follow proceedings during a sensitisation baraza held at Chepkitale location to facilitate registration of the community land.[Osinde Obare]

Ogiek women at Chepkitale in Mt Elgon Sub-County have lauded their inclusion in land distribution and management as enshrined in the Community Land Act.

The provision in law, they said, has encouraged them and confirmed their role in community land management, arguing that their participation is critical in wealth creation.

Speaking during a sensitisation baraza geared towards registration of the Ogiek community land at Chepkitale location, the women said their inclusion in land issues is key to their development.

They reacted to calls by officials from the Ministry of Land to include women in the land registration process to avoid disputes.

Amos Musyoka, Deputy Director of Lands, who chaired the session, asked the community to ensure that a community register submitted to the Ministry for the registration of the community land observed inclusivity.

"The community register has to embrace inclusivity. Don’t exclude Women, widows and people living with disabilities," Musyoka told the gathering.

Janet Jemtai led the women to salute their role in land distribution and management, saying most of the women were ignorant of the provisions of the Community Land Act.

"We were not aware that we had a role to play in the community land management. This sensitisation baraza has provided us with knowledge," said Jemtai.

She said the women's interest captured in the Community Land Act is key to proper and sustainable management of land resources, adding that many communities had overlooked women.

"Despite our vital role in the community, we are isolated in pertinent issues such as land. Our recognition by the law would bring a positive impact on society," added Jemtai.

The Ogiek community has kicked off the process of registering their ancestral land after years of frustration.
The sensitisation baraza marks a milestone in the community's struggle to secure legal ownership of the community land measuring about 80,000 acres.

The Ogiek families described the registration process as a race of hope and an ancestral destiny of the community.
"What we are witnessing here today is the fruits of our bitter struggle. There would be no more evictions and destruction of properties. The process represents hope and ancestral destiny," said Johnson Takur, the council of elders council chairman.

For a decade, the community has battled in court to reclaim the land from the county government of Bungoma, which had converted it to a national game reserve.

In 2022, the High Court in Bungoma ruled the conversion as unconstitutional.