• They have accused the state of exposing them to mistreatment.
• It has Aa population of slightly more than 300,000 people.
Image: COURTESY
The Lembus community wants recognition as a distinct ethnic group.
For years, some of them have been classified as Maasais and others as Tugens — a Kalenjin subethnic group.
But members now say the classification was erroneous, adding that it was done without their consent. They have accused the state of exposing them to mistreatment.
The community is one of the smallest ethnic groups in Kenya's Baringo county. It has slightly more than 300,000 members. About 60,000 were registered as voters.
The Lembus are not recognised as one of the official ethnic groups in Kenya. They have their ancestral land in Koibatek, covering a huge part of Eldama Ravine and Mogotio subcounties.
They claim to be the rightful owners of the Lembus forest, which they use for cultural initiations such as circumcision. They also draw herbal medicine from the forest.
For a start, they want the court to bar the Interior ministry from enumerating them as Tugen in the upcoming 2019 census. They filed the case through lawyer Duncan Okubasu.
They believe the marginalisation of their members has been occasioned by failure to recognise them as a distinct ethnic group and warn that the problem will persist if the court does not compel the government to meet their demands.
"I'm apprehensive that persons in whose interest the instant petition has been filed will not benefit from planning considerations informed by the national census, let alone their continued suffering, which is an affront to their rights and dignity as an ethnic group," says Sialo Kiplagat Kimiring, who is a Lembus.
The community says its right to own the forest has been undermined by the government's failure to recognise its members. They fear that they could lose their identity if nothing is done.
Because of a lack of recognition, they are unable to challenge historic land injustices or have proper representation in governance and other spheres of life, the court heard.
They want the court to direct that their rights have been violated by the state.