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HUGAFO-K would like to acknowledge the financial support of American World Jewish Service (AJWS). We wish to also acknowledge the technical support of the host organization, Ogiek Peoples’ Development Program (OPDP). We also thank the members of steering committee for their participation and sharing of inputs towards the enhancement of Wayuu identity.
On the 2nd of April, 2025, members of the Hunter gatherer communities represented by the Chair Lekapana Paul, presented their petition on ethnic code recognitions to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics offices in Nairobi.
The Hunter Gatherer Forum Kenya (HUGAFO-K) is a national coalition and platform established in 2019 to advocate for the rights, recognition, and inclusion of hunter-gatherer communities across Kenya. These communities include, but are not limited to, the Ogiek, Sengwer, Yaaku, Waayu (formerly Waata), Aweer, Lmartins and El Molo. HUGAFO-K provides a unified voice for these groups whose distinct livelihoods, cultures, and ecosystems have historically faced marginalization, land dispossession, and policy neglect. Founded with the goal of strengthening solidarity among hunter-gatherers, HUGAFO-K champions participatory governance, equitable resource access, cultural revitalization, and meaningful engagement in legislative processes at both national and regional levels. The organization works through a collaborative model involving community-based organizations, traditional leaders, women and youth groups, and technical experts. HUGAFO-K also liaises with development partners, research institutions, and government agencies to influence inclusive development policies and amplify the visibility of hunter-gatherer issues within broader indigenous rights movements.
Hunter Gatherer Forum Kenya (HUGAFO-K) is a national network platform that brings together hunter-gatherer communities across Kenya with the aim of strengthening collective representation, coordinating advocacy efforts, and influencing policies that affect their livelihoods, rights, and cultural survival. The network serves as a unifying voice for historically marginalized hunter-gatherer communities, ensuring their concerns are articulated within national and international policy spaces. With support from AJWS and Niatero, implemented through the Ogiek Peoples’ Development Program (OPDP), HUGAFO-K is implementing the project titled “Enhancing Inclusion in National Marginalization Policy Processes.” The project focuses on enabling hunter-gatherer communities to meaningfully participate in Kenya’s national policy process on marginalization, led by the Minority and Marginalized Unit (MMU) under the Office of the President. As part of this initiative, HUGAFO-K mobilized eight member communities through its Steering Committee to develop and submit community-based memoranda to the Office of the President. These memoranda were submitted between 21st and 28th October, in line with the officially gazetted submission calendar. Each community presented its memorandum on scheduled dates, contributing critical perspectives intended to influence definitions, criteria, and data frameworks that will shape national decisions on the recognition of marginalized groups and allocation of state resources. It is against this background that HUGAFO-K convened a Steering Committee Meeting on Policy Engagement Review and 2026 Planning on 1st December 2025 in Nakuru. The meeting brought together Steering Committee members to reflect on the policy engagement process, review organizational progress in 2025, and collectively plan for 2026.
On 1st July 2025, a one-day stakeholders’ meeting was convened in Iten by the Sengwer Embobut Community-Based Organization (SECBO) to initiate a collaborative discussion on forest restoration and livelihood enhancement in Embobut Forest. The meeting brought together a wide range of stakeholders including representatives from the Endorois Indigenous Women Empowerment Network (EIWEN), Ogiek Peoples’ Development Program (OPDP), Hunter Gatherer Forum Kenya (HUGAFO-K), various Youth CBOs, Chekitale Indigenous People Development Project(CIPDP), members of the Sengwer community, and key officials from the Elgeyo Marakwet County Government, specifically from the Gender Department and the Office of the County Forester and livestock department. The meeting marked the official launch of a three-year forest and livelihood restoration project spearheaded by SECBO and aimed at rehabilitating the degraded ecosystem of Embobut Forest while improving the economic wellbeing of the local and neighboring communities.
The Ogiek community of Kenya, an indigenous forest people of the Mau Forest Complex, has endured decades of systemic marginalization, forced evictions, violence, and denial of their land and cultural rights. Despite their historically recognized role as custodians of the Mau Forest and their sustainable forest-based livelihoods, successive government actions undermined their tenure security, dignity, and survival as a distinct people. In response to these violations, the Ogiek community sought justice through regional human rights mechanisms, culminating in landmark judgments by the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights on both the merits and reparations of the case. These judgments reaffirmed the Ogiek’s collective rights to land, culture, religion, development, and consultation. The June 6 compliance hearing, assessed the Government of Kenya’s progress in implementing the African Court’s 2017 and 2022 landmark judgments, which affirmed the Ogiek community’s collective rights to their ancestral lands within the Mau Forest. During the hearing, the Court adjourned to allow for further deliberation. The Government of Kenya acknowledged that it has not fully complied with the Court’s rulings, specifically citing delays in publishing and gazetting the official summaries of both the merits and reparations judgments. The State, however, expressed its commitment to undertaking the necessary steps toward full implementation. The session reaffirmed the Ogiek community’s long-standing call for the complete enforcement of the Court’s decisions and the protection of our land, culture, and fundamental human rights.
Hunter Gatherer Forum Kenya (HUGAFO-K) participated in the official launch of the Agroecology Project organized by Sengwer Embobut Community Based Organization (SEECBO) at the Sengwer Cultural Centre in Embobut. The project, titled “Roots of Sovereignty: Promoting Agroecological Transition for Land Justice, Food and Nutrition Security, and Community Resilience in East Africa,” marks an important milestone in advancing indigenous land rights, sustainable food systems, and climate resilience among the Sengwer community.
On 15th October 2025, during the commemoration of International Rural Women’s Day, the Indigenous Women’s Council convened a digital security training aimed at strengthening the capacity of Indigenous women to safely engage in digital spaces. Hunter Gatherer Forum Kenya (HUGAFO-K) participated in the training, reaffirming its commitment to promoting the rights, visibility, and protection of Indigenous women across Kenya.
On 26th June 2025, the Koibatek Ogiek Women and Youth Network (KOWYN) convened a stakeholder engagement on Land Tenure Rights in Eldama Ravine, Baringo County, bringing together Ogiek community members and key partners. Representatives from Hunter Gatherer Forum Kenya (HUGAFO-K) participated in the forum alongside government officials, legal experts, civil society organizations, women and youth leaders, with the shared objective of advancing indigenous land rights for the Ogiek community.
On 20th March 2025, representatives from the Hunter Gatherer Forum Kenya (HUGAFO-K), led by Chairperson Mr. Paul Lekapana, paid a courtesy visit to the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) to formally present a petition seeking the issuance of an official tribal code for Hunter-Gatherer communities in Kenya. The petition underscores the need for formal recognition of Hunter-Gatherer identities to facilitate accurate data collection, equitable resource distribution, and inclusion in national development programs. The delegation emphasized that without proper recognition, these communities continue to face systemic exclusion and invisibility in national statistics and planning. In response, the NGEC Chairperson reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to promoting datadriven inclusion and highlighted the importance of safeguarding the rights of marginalized communities through affirmative action and policy advocacy. The meeting marked a significant step in advancing the visibility and rights of Hunter-Gatherer communities, laying the groundwork for future collaboration between NGEC and HUGAFO-K in the pursuit of equality and social justice.
Hunter Gatherer Forum Kenya (HUGAFO-K) extends sincere appreciation to all partners and institutions whose support made the public participation exercise successful. We particularly acknowledge Niatero and American Jewish World Service (AJWS) for their financial and technical support. We recognize Ogiek Peoples’ Development Program (OPDP) as the host organization for HUGAFO-K, providing institutional anchorage and coordination support. We also appreciate the guidance and leadership of the HUGAFO-K Steering Committee, the collaboration of the Office of the President – Minority and Marginalized Unit, County Commissioners, and all community leaders and members who actively participated and ensured that hunter-gatherer voices were heard.