With President William Ruto expected to tour Nakuru County in less than ten days, Ogiek communities across the country have been challenged to slow down on legal battles that have long delayed Government intervention in their land issues.
The community has been urged to embrace the Government's olive branch to find a lasting solution to their land issues and enable them to contribute meaningfully and productively to the national economy.
Speaking in Kapkembu, Tinet Ward, in Kuresoi South Constituency, Nakuru County, during an engagement with members of the Ogiek community, Ogiek Myoot Council of Elders National Chairman Rev Philip Maiyo said the community had missed significant opportunities because of vested interests among some of its members.
He said the community had a great opportunity, alongside other minority and marginalised communities in the country, to participate inclusively in nation-building and benefit from national resources.
Leaders call for unity and recognition
Samson Salimu, the Council's National Vice Chairman, called on the Ogiek community to embrace neighbouring communities and work cohesively to build a leadership structure that could accommodate everyone and, where possible, embrace negotiated democracy.
Other members of the community called on the Government to expedite the processing of a community code to enable the Ogiek to be recognised as an identifiable community eligible for direct resource allocation and other benefits.
David Kerich, an Ogiek professional from Tinet, said many children from the community faced challenges accessing bursaries allocated by the national Government because of the lack of formal recognition through the code.
"Despite our children getting meagre allocations from NG-CDF bursaries, the teething problem is that national bursaries allocated to minority groups have not reached the Ogiek community due to lack of a code," Kerich said.
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