HUGAFO-K Joins PBO Week 2026 in Nakuru: Amplifying Indigenous Voices and Building Partnerships

The Hunter Gatherer Forum Kenya (HUGAFO-K) joined other Public Benefit Organizations (PBOs) and sector stakeholders in Nakuru during the 2026 PBO Week, a national platform convened by the Public Benefit Organizations Regulatory Authority (PBORA) to celebrate the contribution of PBOs to Kenya’s development.

Held from 13–18 April 2026, PBO Week brought together organizations, government institutions, development partners and other stakeholders across Kenya, with Nakuru among the five regional hubs hosting activities. The week was organized under the theme “A New Dawn in Action: Celebrating Impact, Connecting Voices, Collaborating for Transformation under the PBO Act.”

For HUGAFO-K, participation in the Nakuru PBO Week provided an important opportunity to bring the experiences, priorities and contributions of hunter-gatherer communities into a wider national development conversation.

Amplifying Hunter-Gatherer Voices

HUGAFO-K used the platform to showcase the work being undertaken by hunter-gatherer communities and organizations across Kenya, particularly in the areas of indigenous peoples’ rights, environmental conservation, culture, livelihoods and community empowerment.

The Forum recognizes that hunter-gatherer communities possess rich traditional knowledge and practices that contribute significantly to biodiversity conservation, sustainable use of natural resources and community resilience. However, these contributions are often underrepresented in national development conversations.

Participation in PBO Week therefore created space for these perspectives to be shared with other civil society organizations, government representatives, partners and members of the public.

Connecting Communities, Conservation and Development

A key message from HUGAFO-K's participation was the need to recognize the relationship between the wellbeing of indigenous and hunter-gatherer communities and the protection of their ancestral environments.

For generations, hunter-gatherer communities have maintained knowledge systems connected to forests, wildlife, medicinal plants, food systems and other natural resources. Protecting this knowledge and the ecosystems that sustain it requires meaningful participation of the communities themselves.

HUGAFO-K continues to advocate for approaches that place communities at the centre of conservation and development processes while recognizing their rights, knowledge and leadership.

A Platform for Networking and Partnerships

The Nakuru PBO Week also offered HUGAFO-K an opportunity to interact with organizations working in different thematic areas and explore possibilities for collaboration.

Such platforms are important because many of the challenges facing hunter-gatherer communities—including land rights concerns, climate change, loss of traditional knowledge, limited livelihood opportunities and inadequate representation—require partnerships across different sectors.

By engaging with other PBOs and stakeholders, HUGAFO-K strengthened its visibility within the wider civil society sector and opened opportunities for knowledge sharing, networking and future collaboration.

Celebrating the Contribution of PBOs

PBO Week 2026 came at an important moment for Kenya's civil society sector, following the operationalization of the Public Benefit Organizations Act and the gazettement of the 2026 PBO Regulations. PBORA described the week as a platform for celebrating, connecting and collaborating, while highlighting the contribution of PBOs to Kenya's development agenda.

For HUGAFO-K, this celebration was also a reminder that development must be inclusive and that the voices of communities living at the margins of mainstream development must be part of national conversations.

Looking Ahead

HUGAFO-K remains committed to strengthening the collective voice of hunter-gatherer communities in Kenya and creating spaces where their experiences, knowledge and aspirations can inform policies and programmes.

The Forum looks forward to building on the connections made during PBO Week in Nakuru and strengthening partnerships that advance indigenous peoples’ rights, environmental protection, sustainable livelihoods, cultural preservation and meaningful participation.

The participation of HUGAFO-K in PBO Week 2026 was more than attendance—it was an opportunity to make hunter-gatherer voices visible, celebrate community-led solutions and reaffirm the importance of collaboration in building a more inclusive and sustainable Kenya.