KENYA
This Land Is Our Land
Samburu herders in Kenya are not ready to give up their claim to 17,000 acres of land that a former president sold out from under them to create a national park, despite losing an eight-year court battle last month.
The Samburu claim the sale is invalid because they have been living on the disputed ranch land for 25 years. They have appealed the decision, Reuters reported Friday.
The case comes as protected areas around the globe are expanding in a bid to save endangered wildlife and boost tourism revenues, pitting conservationists against marginalized people facing loss of their traditional lands, the wire service said.
Kenya’s longest serving president, Daniel arap Moi, sold the property in 2008 to the Washington-based African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), which secured half of the funding for the purchase from The Nature Conservancy (TNC).
AWF claims it was vacant when they bought it, and the squatters moved in afterward. However, a report by the International Labor Organization pointed out that the “closed-door” deal, which didn’t conduct adequate due diligence or consultations with the indigenous community, was “a recipe for conflicts.”
The court decision now allows for the creation for Laikipia National Park – in a region that is the second most important for Kenya after Maasai Mara, one where “the Big Five” including rare rhinos roam freely, Reuters reported.
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