Indigenous leaders have been shot, and homes burned, in Kenya. Take action to urge the EU to guarantee the safety and rights of Sengwer and Ogiek indigenous people.
ACT NOW: Urge the EU to immediately ensure the safety and human rights of the Sengwer and Ogiek indigenous people in Western Kenya, whose homes are being burned.
Friend,
On January 16, Kenya Forest Service (KFS) guards shot two members of the Sengwer indigenous people while they were herding their cattle in the Embobut Forest in Western Kenya. Reports indicate that Robert Kirotich was killed, while David Kipkosgei Kiptilkesi was wounded and taken by KFS guards.
Between 2007 and 2013, the KFS carried out a series of attacks on the Sengwer — arresting community members, burning their homes, and destroying their property — after receiving funding from the World Bank for a natural resources management project. Sengwer women have especially suffered as they are violently evicted from their forest homes and separated from the traditional foods, medicines, and resources they rely on to provide for their families.
But despite this history, the European Union approved funding to the Kenya Forest Service to implement a climate project within Sengwer territory. And in spite of repeated warnings of escalating human rights risks, the EU has failed to ensure that the rights of the Sengwer and Ogiek people are protected.
On Christmas day, 100+ armed KFS guards entered the land of the Sengwer, where they fired gunshots, burned homes, and killed livestock. Then again on New Year’s Eve, the KFS went home to home looking for community leaders, using live bullets to intimidate community members, and setting fire to more homes.
Yesterday, the EU suspended the project. This move is welcome; however, it is only the first step, as Sengwer homes continue to be burned.
Please send an email today urging the European Union to take immediate action to end these threats.
