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Home / Communities / Ogiek of Mount Elgon / Moving Forward
Despite the challenges that the Ogiek of Mt. Elgon face, there are mechanisms that the community currently has in place to assist them in moving forward.
In the recent past, the Ogiek of Mt. Elgon have engaged in history documentation and as of February 2020, a document containing the history of the Ogiek of Mt. Elgon had been submitted to the community members for the purposes of validation.
The community is constantly making efforts to document the lands which they claim through mapping the area occupied by the Ogiek of Mt. Elgon.
This process involves setting aside the areas that are meant for settlement, farming, business etc.
In their attempts to document culture, the Ogiek of Mt. Elgon are actively trying to come up with a resource center for the community. The center is intended to have various aspects of their culture including artefacts etc.
The community is also making use of local courts e.g. the Bungoma High Court to realize the constitutional rights of its people. Currently there are two ongoing cases relating to land that have been lodged in Bungoma.
Self-determination means improving access to quality health services, education, clean water, communications, legal protections and other essentials free from discrimination. This requires dedicated policies, budget allocations and local training to uplift the most vulnerable El-Molo households.
The existence of the COGC is instrumental in that they help in implementation of community by laws and also act as an advisory committee of the community. They are also involved in conservation of the environment. The structure of the community is that the it has 32 clans and each of the clans have their own clan council of elders. The chair of each clan forms part of the council of elders who choose overall leaders who also select members of other positions who make up the COGC.
The COGC engage in numerous meeting with both government and other state actors to advance the cause of the people.
These are youths who volunteer from the community to aid in forest conservation.
