Kenya Accused of Illegally Evicting Ogiek People for Carbon Credits Profit
Human rights lawyers claim that Kenya’s government is unlawfully evicting hundreds of hunter-gatherers, the Ogiek community, from their ance犀利士 stral lands to capitalize on carbon offsetting schemes. Ogiek leaders report armed forest rangers using axes and hammers to demolish houses in the Mau Forest, alleging that the government is exploiting environmental protection operations to assert territorial and financial control. Dr. Justin Kenrick from the Forest People’s Programme asserts that carbon credits are central to the evictions, positioning Kenya to profit from its forests.
The global carbon credit market enables polluters to emit carbon dioxide while paying forest owners to offset emissions through their trees. By evicting the Ogiek, Kenya’s government is accused of consolidating control over a lucrative asset. Dr. Kenrick argues that this move aligns with the growing interest of offsetting companies, prompting the government to assert dominance over the Mau Forest, Kenya’s largest.
Lucy Claridge, director of the International Lawyers Project, suspects a connection between the evictions and carbon credits. Recent negotiations between the Kenyan government and Dubai-based offsetting firm Blue Carbon, coupled with increased funding for forest conservation, raise suspicions. Indigenous communities, like the Ogiek, have historically played a crucial role in conserving land.
Blue Carbon, however, denies ongoing projects in Kenya and cites Article 6 of the Paris climate agreement, stating processes are ineligible if they displace indigenous communities or vulnerable groups. Ongoing evictions in the Mau Forest have left hundreds displaced, and calls for the Kenyan government to halt the operations and return the land have intensified.
In response, Kenya’s Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry states it is “fully aware” of the operation to reclaim parts of the Mau Forest from encroachment and illegal logging. President William Ruto emphasizes the importance of protecting biodiversity and mitigating climate change but faces criticism for the alleged exploitation of indigenous communities.
Despite a landmark 2017 court ruling granting the Ogiek the right to live on their ancestral land, recent evictions began without warning. The Ogiek Peoples Development Programme (OPDP) reports ongoing evictions affecting around 700 people, with calls for the government to respect the court’s decisions and consult the Ogiek on any projects on their land.
