EMBOBUT FOREST

The Embobut Forest is one of the largest continuous blocks of indigenous forest remaining in East Africa.Embobut forest Reserve in Elgeyo Marakwet county is one of the five major water towers in Kenya. As of 6 November 1954, it was gazetted and registered as a protected public forest, by Proclamation Order 26.Soil erosion and landslides are ongoing concerns, as is the protection of the water supply and biodiversity, impacts on climate, and local livelihoods.The Embobut Forest has become the site of ongoing dissent and violent conflict over the ownership and use of forest lands. The Sengwer people have been the target of repeated and forcible evictions from the area by the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and other governmental agencies.

Embobut Forest. As with many of Kenya’s gazetted forests, Embobut has been characterized by periodic evictions of people deemed to be residing in the forest illegally. The Report of the Embobut Task Force cited 20 such evictions since the 1980s. During the NRMP period, Requesters claim that KFS participated in forceful evictions of Cherangany-Sengwer from Embobut in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013... in 2009... over 400 families were evicted and a large number of houses, belongings, and crops destroyed by forest guards, regular and administrative police, and Kenya Wildlife Service rangers to prevent people from returning into the forest.