Ogiek Of Mt Elgon Challenges

The Ogiek of Mt Elgon are under twin threats from

1. socially dominant neighboring peoples who see their forests as resources to be exploited rather than sustained.
2. An approach by the government agencies like the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) which seek to expel traditional forest communities’ like the Ogiek from their ancestral lands on the pretext of needing to do so to protect the forest. However, the Ministry of Environment’s own report, IUCN, the World Bank and scientific studies show that these forests can be protected when traditional forest communities’ have secure title.
3. Negative impacts to the environment including charcoal burning within the forest is also a challenge facing the Ogiek People of Mt. Elgon.
4. Land rights issues; there are currently two active cases pending in Bungoma High Court that directly relate to land issues of the Ogiek of Mt. Elgon in Bungoma. One case involves a degazzetment of the forest and the other involves attempted eviction of the Ogiek in Bungoma county.
5. They are still under represented in political spaces where most positions are preferred for major tribes which surround them.
6. Unemployment issues in that most of the youth remain unemployed even when they have the necessary job qualification.
7. There is poor distribution of funds across Chepkitale schools.