At least 12,000 members of the indigenous communities in Nandi county, mainly the Ogieks, are still landless and economically devastated years after they were kicked out of forests.
For more than two decades, many of the families are squatting along the Mau forest, which stretches from Nandi, Uasin Gishu, Kericho to Nakuru counties.
They say the government has failed to address historical injustices meted out on marginalised communities.
The affected communities presented their grievances through petitions to the Kenya National Human Rights Commission, which visited Kapsabet in Nandi county.
Representatives of the Ogiek clan said they have not been resettled since they were evicted from the forests, which they say were their ancestral lands.
Philip Maiyo, one of the representatives of the aggrieved families, said the initial compensation process excluded majority of the victims, rendering them homeless.
"We have had engagements with the government before but the agreements we made have not come to fruition. Our social lives were interfered with by the displacement," he said.
They said more than 1,500 families of the Ogiek community, who were evicted from Serengonik, Cheboror and Keben forests, are living on road reserves in the county.
“We have suffered a lot since the evictions. We are living in inhuman conditions and we fear we may never get permanent homes if something drastic is not done by the government,” Maiyo said.
The Ogiek is a subtribe of the Kalenjin community. They were hunters and gatherers, and dwelled in the natural forest until 2005, when the government resolved to restore forests.
"We lost cultural our identity as a community and many of our members got assimilated into other communities. Ogiek is an endangered clan that is slowing dying away if leveraging initiatives will not be taken to salvage the families," Maiyo said.
The Ogiek community members live in temporary structures and Salina Lelmengit said they have no decent houses and permanent residential areas to bury their loved ones.
“Our children have to trek many kilometres to access schools and health facilities in Nandi and Uasin Gishu counties. There has been serious discrimination in dispensation of county and national governments development initiatives and we appeal for consideration," she said.
KNHRC commissioner Sara Bonaya said the ongoing hearing drive will them come up with a report and recommendations for the government to address historical injustices.
She said they are evaluating the economic status of the families to help inform the policymaking and empowerment programmes to support the indigenous families.
"We have heard from the victims and we are looking forward to coming up with the development frameworks that would see the government implement the East African Court of Justice ruling, among other reports," Bonaya said.
She said the human rights organisation will follow up on the unaddressed land issues and compensations for the families.
