An indigenous group on Monday, October 7, arrived in Nairobi after a 400-Kilometre walk meant to capture President Uhuru Kenyatta's attention.
Reports by Capital FM News indicated that the team which consisted of members of the Sengwer community sought to present a petition to Uhuru that demanded they be recognised as a tribe.
The hunter-gatherer community also wanted the head of state to stop evictions from the forest they have called home for centuries, The Standard reported.
Their journey began in Tangul, an area adjacent to the 21,000-hectare Embobut forest in Elgeyo Marakwet County.
According to Yator Kitum, one of the organisers of the walk, they were all hopeful that Uhuru would heed to their plea especially since they had been sidelined in forest conservation despite the fact that they lived inside the forest.
“We want to have talks with the state to see how we can collaborate in forest conservation,” Kitum stated.
The petition called for environmental laws that recognise indigenous groups in forest conservation.
The group's secretary Elias Kimaiyo also accused security forces of burning their houses during the said evictions.
“Indigenous communities across the world are custodians of forests. This is because they conserve and use forests in a sustainable manner. The forests exist because we exist,” Kimaiyo affirmed.
The group also expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support they had received from locals and civil society groups in the towns they had passed through.
Below is a video showing the group protesting after its arrival in Nairobi.
