Kenyan authorities are forcibly evicting the Sengwer Indigenous community from their ancestral home, the Embobut forest. The evictions have been carried out by the authorities in violation of the Constitution, a High Court injunction and international human rights law, through a conservation project funded by the European Union.
The Sengwer Indigenous community are facing new threats of eviction. On 21 January, a local government official announced intensified security operations to “flush out” everyone from the forest, who, he alleges, are “all criminals and cattle-rustlers”. Sengwer community member Robert Kirotich Kibor was shot at and killed and David Kosgei Kiptilkesi was seriously injured by gunshots during an eviction on 16 January. 1) TAKE ACTION Write a letter, send an email, call, fax or tweet:- Take immediate steps to ensure that Sengwer leaders and human rights defenders are not harassed, threatened and intimidated for exercising their human rights;
- Stop the forced evictions of the Sengwer community, and ensure they are allowed to return to their ancestral land in Embobut Forest;
- Ensure that an immediate, independent and thorough investigation takes place into the forced evictions and violence in Embobut forest, in particular the killing of Robert Kirotich, and ensure that those responsible for excessive use of force, including murder, are held accountable in line with due process requirements;
- Engage with the Sengwer community on a new approach to conservation in Embobut forest which recognises their role as co-managers, co-conservators and owners of the land.
Contact these two officials by 28 March, 2018: Director of the Kenya Forest Service Emilio N. Mugo Kenya Forest Service Director’s Office P.O Box 30513-00100 Nairobi Kenya Email: [email protected] Salutation: Dear Sir
Ambassador Robinson Njeru Githae, Embassy of the Republic of Kenya 2249 R St. NW, Washington DC 20008 Phone: 1 202 387 6101 I Fax: 1 202 462 3829 Email: [email protected] OR [email protected] Twitter: @KenyaembDC Salutation: Dear Ambassador
2) LET US KNOW YOU TOOK ACTION Click here to let us know if you took action on this case! This is Urgent Action 6.18 Here’s why it is so important to report your actions: we record the actions taken on each case—letters, emails, calls and tweets—and use that information in our advocacy. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:- READ THE FULL URGENT ACTION: Word or PDF
- GET INSPIRED: Read about the people you have helped
- READ TIPS for writing effective letters and emails
- CONTACT US: [email protected]