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Environmentalists confront Kenya's repressive, anti-environmental government Current human rights and environment concerns in Kenya involve the deforestation of the Karura Forest, north of Nairobi; the human rights violations against individuals protesting government plans to parcel out the land to developer; the ongoing Sondu-Miriu dam construction project in western Kenya; and the general climate of repression in the country. Private development of public land has been extremely controversial, not only because it will result in the wanton deforestation of public land, but also because the land is being allocated to senior government officials at a fraction of its market value. This has led to allegations of cronyism and nepotism in public governance. Deforestation of Kenyan public forests will deprive wildlife of their natural habitats, hurt tourism (Kenya's main source of income) and increase the incidence of drought in the region. As the leader of the most successful tree-planting and women's empowerment program in Africa, Professor Wangari Maathai has been repeatedly beaten and imprisoned over the years for fighting to save Kenya’s forests. On January 8th, 1999, Maathai, the Coordinator of Kenya's Green Belt Movement, and approximately 20 of her supporters (including Members of Parliament and journalists) were attacked by private security guards as they attempted to plant trees in the Karura Forest, an area north of Nairobi slated for development. Police at the scene did nothing to stop the violence, suggesting that the security guards acted with the support of the government. Private security guards began patrolling the public forests when President Moi decided to sell the lands to a political crony. There was only one problem. He forgot that the land was public. He forgot to ask Kenya for permission. This was not Maathai's first interaction with Kenyan authorities. For two days in January of 1992, police surrounded Maathai's home in Nairobi. On the afternoon of the second day, officers ripped the bars off of a bedroom window, forcibly extracted the 51-year-old grassroots organizer and took her into custody. Such is the official response in Kenya to those who are so bold as to organize women to plant trees, or to protest construction of a skyscraper that would destroy a city park. Her vocal opposition to the proposed complex led President Moi to label both Maathai and her movement as "subversive." The Green Belt Movement has not only helped to reforest Kenya, it has empowered a community. Maathai's grassroots organizing success and support, however, frightens Kenya's President Moi, who is not a fan of environmentalists, human rights advocates, or democracy. The Kenyan Attorney General later apologized for the 1999 beating and conceded that the court order used by the developers to claim ownership of the forest was ambiguous. The Attorney General also promised police protection for Dr. Maathai at any future demonstrations at Karura Forest. However, in early February 2000, police again hurt students and political opposition leaders as they violently broke up a peaceful public protest against the land allocation. President Moi has publicly warned churches to stay out of the Karura protest movement. The Kenyan government, dominated by President Daniel Arap Moi has a long, sordid history of suppressing peaceful public protest with violent force. The government is notorious for pervasive patterns of human rights abuses and repression of civil society. In its 1999 Annual Report, Amnesty International documented cases where members of human rights and non-governmental organizations, journalists and opposition politicians were harassed by Kenyan authorities. Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club |
