Indigenous communities strive to curb exploitation of resources

Johana Karatu (left) an Eldorois elder  at the shores of Lake Bogoria in Baringo County. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

Johana Karatu leans on his walking stick, his gaze fixed on the expanse of the ever-changing Lake Bogoria.

The alkaline lake, dotted with vibrant pink flamingos on the edges, stretches out before him, a scene he has witnessed for close to seven decades now.

He has watched the lake from the times the community resided around it and performed cultural rituals within it to the time it was elevated as a National reserve to tap into its tourism potential.

But to Karatu, these scenes are what makes the lake one of the unique places on earth, attracting visitors from across the world.

Being from the Endorois community, an indigenous community, Karatu, alongside other 75,000 members consider themselves guardians of the lake and rely on part of the resources generated from it.

“There is much more to these historical lands than just the lake and the flamingos, which we pride in as an indigenous community,” Karatu says. Besides the lake generating revenues from tourism, it is also a treasure trove of genetic and cultural heritage, attributes which propelled the lake into the limelight close to three decades ago.

Flamingos at Lake Bogoria in Baringo County. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

This was after a researcher from a British institution collected microorganisms from the lake in 1992 without proper authorisation and later sold them to companies in the Netherlands and the United States. 

This incident sparked a legal battle as the Kenyan government sought to hold the corporations accountable for exploiting the country’s natural resources and for not sharing the financial benefits of their subsequent innovations with Kenya.

“As a community, we have previously lost some of our genetic resources. We are now aware of our rights and responsibilities in so far as protection, conservation and monitoring the proper use of our resources is concerned,” Richard Kamworor, the CEO of Endorois Welfare Council says.

And now, the community, just like the indigenous Ogieks of Mau, have come up with a tool that will help them negotiate for a better share of benefits derived from their historical lands and from their knowledge.

Members of Eldorois singing their traditional song at the shores of Lake Bogoria in Baringo County. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

The tool, known as the Biocultural Protocol, will allow the community to negotiate with other parties, like private and public investors, and researchers, among others, as regards access, use and benefit sharing of its traditional knowledge and natural resources.

For members like Karatu, it is a win. “As a community, we came together and compiled this document detailing the resources within our lands and how we want to benefit from them. If anyone wishes to conduct research or extract resources, they have to follow the binding rules, and if these rules are violated, we will ensure accountability,” Karatu adds.

Just like Karatu who is now hopeful that the tool will help his community benefit from the knowledge and its resources, Everline Langat, an herbalist from the Ogiek community in Mau forest says that the similar tool will protect their wealth of indigenous knowledge passed down the generations from being exploited.

For the 52,000-member Ogiek community who attribute their wealth of traditional medicinal knowledge to a ‘profound relation with the forest’ which they said is part of their cultural identity as a community, community protocol will help them access and benefit from genetic resources extracted from Mau Forest Complex.

Flamingos at Lake Bogoria in Baringo County. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

“This tool controls exploitation of the community’s natural resources by researchers, research institutions, government agencies, pharmaceutical companies among other entities without consent, by providing clear terms and conditions to regulate access to the community’s assets,” says Daniel Kobei, the Executive director of the Ogiek People’s Development Program.

The communities want the national and county governments to put in place appropriate policies and legal frameworks to ensure the protection and conservation of our genetic resources.

“This document, for example, has been incorporated into the Lake Bogoria National Reserve Management Plan. This means that it entails how the community can benefit from the resources of Lake Bogoria National Reserve and its environs,” Kamworor says.

Endorois have since shared their tool of negotiation with Baringo County government while the Ogiek have shared theirs within the Counties where the community reside, including Nakuru, Narok, Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Kericho and Baringo Counties.