UN told of challenges faced by indigenous Kenyans

Sharply contrasting views of government policies regarding Kenyan pastoralists and hunter-gatherers were presented on Thursday at a United Nations forum.

Two representatives of indigenous peoples in Kenya charged that the government fails to respect their rights, while a member of the country's UN delegation argued that the Constitution is creating a "new relationship between the government and the governed."

Speaking on behalf of African indigenous women, Kenyan anti-violence campaigner Agnes Leina told the forum in New York that the Constitution is "very beautiful, but implementation of laws is the problem."

Ms Leina said pastoralist women in northern Kenya are denied property rights despite constitutional guarantees of equality. "The Constitution says one thing," she declared, "but practice says another."

Pastoralist women are also routinely raped and beaten, Ms Leina said.

Women in pastoralist communities are not benefiting from the government's stated commitments to improving access to education and health services, she added.

Three-quarters of pastoralist women remain illiterate, Ms Leina noted. Women, including those who are nine months pregnant, must walk several miles to reach clinics, she said.

Peter Kiplangat Cheruiyot, Programme Officer of the Ogiek People's Development Programme, also addressed the indigenous peoples' forum, charging that "the Kenyan government has ignored court rulings protecting Ogiek claims to their lands."

He pointed out that the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights had said the Ogiek must not be evicted from their ancestral homes in the Mau Forest.

Noting that "quite a lot has been said" about Kenya at the forum, government representative John Mosoti assured his listeners that the Constitution specifically protects the rights of minorities in the country.

Mr Mosoti added that the newly devolved system of governance in Kenya will enable every community, even the smallest, to make decisions on use of its resources.

He acknowledged that challenges remain. "Resources are never enough," Mr Mosoti said, adding, "It takes a bit of time" for a new system of government to function effectively.

The UN's Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is also chaired by a Kenyan: Paul Kanyinke Sena, a member of the Ogiek community.