Reclaimming our source of Livelihood

From KLAMediaWiki

Title:Reclaiming our source of Livelihood by Agnes Zawedde

Time: 11.30-2:00 pm

Name of organizer:Network on Land Rights

Number of participants

Male 172

Female 191

Total 363

Key speakers profile Kenyan Lawyers' John Ochole Peasant from the Yale community

Summary of Issues covered Case presented to court by one of the peasant from the yale community crying out for justice.

John Ochele a peasant from the Yale community who had a very big farm where he was growing food cropps,rearing animals and bees and fishing was very happy before 2003 when the Dominion firms(USA) came in and destroyed all his farm and homestead.

The land on which John Ochele was farming was inherited from his father 35 years ago and this is where all his ancestors lived and werre buried.

In 2003,he was told by his area chief that some government investors were going to do some investments on hiss land,after few months,the Dominion Firm came and suryeved his land,in three days,tractors and bulldozers slashed all his plants and fenced him out of his fishing area.ON seeing this,he consulted his area member of Parliament who asked him to leave this area and find another for settlement which he did not do because he had no where to go.

After a short while,the company created a dam for electricity generation. This dam created a back-flow that submerged his agricultural crops and houses

Right now he is not able to carry out any activity because his land has been submerged.Before the company took over,during the rainy season.There would be occasional floods and his homestead would not be affected but now the floods are permanent right from his homestead-

He still holds the view that this land belongs to him becuase there was no ennvironmental impact assessment and therefore called upon court to intervene to get back his land tha has been submerged.

Recommendations from the activity Despite the multi sectoral nature of the swamp,NEMA does not appear to have used its power under section 60 of ENCA to require written comments on the EIA by such lead agencies like the fisheries department,Kenya Wildlife services,water and migration department or the department of Agriculture Therefore the project should be pending comments from above stakeholder

List of print 1