Cases / Genetic resources and benefit-sharing · Kenya · 1970–2026
Endorois and Lake Bogoria enzyme extraction (Kenya)
Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
What the record lacks: 1 none on record · 3 insufficient · 1 not measured · 2 disputed · 1 unclear See the gaps
Lake Bogoria in Kenya became a game reserve in the 1970s and the Endorois were evicted. In 2010 the African Commission found a rights violation and asked that revenue be shared; in 2024 the Endorois said they learned from the press that enzymes were being extracted from the lake.
Not implementedAfrican Commission decision of 2010 on the Endorois
Minority Rights Group reported non-implementation for 2022–2024; the project's 2026 the sources reviewed put it at 16 years.
Minority Rights Group reported non-implementation for 2022–2024; the project's 2026 the sources reviewed put it at 16 years.
Status As of October 2026: the African Commission's 2010 Endorois decision was recorded as not implemented; no disclosure of enzyme revenue and no ruling on the extraction were found.
What?
The Endorois were evicted from Lake Bogoria in the 1970s; in 2024 they learned from the press that enzymes were being extracted from the lake, and the 2010 African Commission decision on them remained unimplemented. The Star (Kenya)
Where?
Lake Bogoria, Kenya.
When?
Eviction in the 1970s; Commission decision in 2010; World Heritage listing in 2011; press reports in July 2024.
Who?
Gained
- Enzyme companies (not named in the verified record) — Reported by The Star in July 2024 to be extracting enzymes from the lake; revenue not disclosed. The Star (Kenya)
Lost
- Endorois community — Evicted in the 1970s; the 2010 decision asking for a revenue share was reported as not fully implemented. Minority Rights Group
Harmed
- Endorois community — Evicted for the game reserve; listed for World Heritage in 2011 without, according to the African Commission, their free, prior and informed consent. University of Arizona Indigenous Peoples Rights database
Why?
The Endorois were evicted to create the Lake Bogoria game reserve.
How?
The Star reported in July 2024 that foreign companies were extracting enzymes from the lake; the sources reviewed say the enzymes came from microbes in the lake's hot waters and were exported. The Star (Kenya)
6 of 6 questions answered from the record
What happened
The record, in order.
Lake Bogoria in Kenya was declared a game reserve in the 1970s, and the Endorois people, who lived there, were evicted.
In 2010 the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights found the eviction a violation of rights and asked that the Endorois receive a share of revenue (Communication 276/03). Minority Rights Group published a report on the impact of the decision's non-implementation, covering 2022–2024.
In 2011 the World Heritage Committee inscribed Lake Bogoria on the World Heritage list on IUCN's recommendation (decision 35 COM 8B.6). On 5 November 2011 the African Commission adopted resolution 197, stating that the listing, made without the Endorois' free, prior and informed consent, violated their right to development. An article on IUCN's own website of 7 December 2011 states that the decision whose draft IUCN prepared does not name the Endorois and that IUCN's field evaluation did not consult Endorois representatives.
In July 2024 The Star (Kenya) reported that the Endorois had learned from the press that enzymes were being extracted from Lake Bogoria and that they were asking for revenue to be disclosed. The newspaper's headline said foreign companies were on the spot for illegally extracting enzymes from the lake.
- 19701970s: Lake Bogoria declared a game reserve; the Endorois are evicted
- 2010African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights finds the eviction a rights violation and asks that revenue be shared with the Endorois
- 2011World Heritage listing of Lake Bogoria (35 COM 8B.6); 5 Nov: African Commission resolution 197; 7 Dec: IUCN article on the decision
- 20222022–2024: Minority Rights Group reports the 2010 decision not fully implemented
- 2024July: The Star reports that the Endorois learned of the enzyme extraction from the press and want revenue disclosed
- 2026the sources reviewed record the 2010 decision as still not implemented, 16 years on
What was said
Claims, in the words of those who made them.
“Foreign companies on spot for illegally extracting enzymes from Lake Bogoria”
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
Who is entitled to the revenue from the enzymes extracted from Lake Bogoria?
Communities and civil society
Endorois
Learned from the press in 2024 that enzymes were being extracted and asked for revenue to be disclosed.
The Star (Kenya)Press and investigations
The Star (Kenya)
Headlined that foreign companies were on the spot for illegally extracting enzymes from the lake.
The Star (Kenya)International bodies
African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
In 2010 found the eviction a violation of rights and asked that the Endorois receive a share of revenue.
Minority Rights GroupWas the 2011 World Heritage listing made with the Endorois' consent?
International bodies
African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
Resolution 197 (5 November 2011) stated that listing without the Endorois' free, prior and informed consent violated their right to development.
University of Arizona Indigenous Peoples Rights databaseInternational bodies
IUCN
Its own website states that the decision it drafted does not name the Endorois and that its field evaluation did not consult Endorois representatives.
IUCNInternational bodies
World Heritage Committee
Inscribed the lake in 2011 on IUCN's recommendation.
University of Arizona Indigenous Peoples Rights databaseHow it looked
What was shown, beside what was recorded.
Shown
- Lake Bogoria inscribed on the World Heritage list (2011), on IUCN's recommendationWorld Heritage Committee and IUCN · University of Arizona Indigenous Peoples Rights database
Recorded
- Lake Bogoria was declared a game reserve in the 1970s and the Endorois were evicted.
- The African Commission's 2010 decision on the Endorois (276/03) was not fully implemented, according to Minority Rights Group's report on non-implementation.
- African Commission resolution 197 of 5 November 2011 stated that the World Heritage listing, made without the Endorois' free, prior and informed consent, violated their right to development.
- IUCN's own website states that the World Heritage decision it drafted does not name the Endorois and that its field evaluation did not consult Endorois representatives (IUCN article, 7 December 2011).
- In July 2024 The Star reported that the Endorois learned of enzyme extraction from the lake from the press and asked for disclosure of revenue.
- the sources reviewed list the Endorois among eight cases in which a ruling in favour of a community was later reversed or not implemented.
- the sources reviewed record that enzymes were produced from microbes taken from the lake's hot waters and exported.
Who gained
Money that reached nature, beside money that stayed elsewhere.
Reached nature or the ground
Not published
No figure published.
Gained elsewhere
Not totalled
Currency: USD · Window: 1970s–2026. All figures cover the same period. * Estimate built from cited figures.
Responses on record
- iucn (7 December 2011): An article on IUCN's website states that the draft decision it prepared does not name the Endorois and that its field evaluation did not consult Endorois representatives. · IUCN
- african-commission (2010 and 5 November 2011): Found the 1970s eviction a violation of rights and asked that the Endorois receive a share of revenue (2010); stated in resolution 197 that the 2011 World Heritage listing without consent violated their right to development. · University of Arizona Indigenous Peoples Rights database
In court and with insurers
Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.
Lawsuits and rulings
- 2010Claimant wonCommunication 276/03 (Endorois decision)African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights · International court · Endorois community → Kenya
The Commission found the 1970s eviction a violation of rights and asked that the Endorois receive a share of revenue. Minority Rights Group reported the decision as not fully implemented for 2022–2024. Minority Rights Group
Insurers
No insurer decision on record.
What nature saw
Outcomes measured on the ground, and nature's note.
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
2010 African Commission decision
Not implemented
Reported for 2022–2024 by Minority Rights Group; the sources reviewed say 16 years on in 2026
Revenue disclosure
Requested
The Endorois asked in 2024 for the revenue from the enzyme extraction to be disclosed
World Heritage listing
2011
On IUCN's recommendation; the African Commission said consent was not obtained
What we don't know
Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
Figures
- Insufficient Royalty: Reported royalty to the Kenya Wildlife Service under a memorandum with Novozymes; of a SciDev.Net report, not independently verified.
Accounts
Record
- None on record Revenue from the enzyme extraction has not been disclosed; the Endorois asked for disclosure in 2024.
- Unclear The companies involved and the legal basis of the extraction are not established; The Star's headline alleges illegality and no ruling was found.
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: a reports of a SciDev.Net report says that under a memorandum with Novozymes the Kenya Wildlife Service received about US$9,000 in royalties in 2009.
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: a payment of 2.3 million Kenyan shillings is mentioned for Lake Bogoria (CIPIT); its source could not be accessed.
Did the harm stop?
the sources reviewed give no end to the situation: the 2010 decision was reported as not implemented for 2022–2024, and enzyme extraction from the lake was reported in July 2024.
Who paid?
The Endorois, who were evicted in the 1970s and were still asking for disclosure of revenue in 2024.
Sources
Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations✓ Communities and civil society— Researchers✓ International bodies
Press and investigations
- Foreign companies on spot for illegally extracting enzymes from Lake BogoriaThe Star (Kenya) · 2024-07-17
Communities and civil society
- Implement Endorois Decision 276/03: Report on the impact of non-implementation of the African Commission's Endorois decisionMinority Rights Group · 2022–2024
International bodies
- African Commission resolution 197 (5 November 2011) on indigenous peoples' rights in the context of the World Heritage Convention and designation (Lake Bogoria)University of Arizona Indigenous Peoples Rights database · 2011-11-05
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Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
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- African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (International organisation) — here: Found the eviction a rights violation (2010); resolution 197 on the World Heritage listing (2011); there: African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
- IUCN (International organisation) — here: Technical evaluator whose recommendation led to the 2011 World Heritage listing; there: Technical evaluator for natural sites
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- Sengwer evictions from Embobut forest and the EU Water Towers programme (Kenya) Kenya · 2014–2024
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- IUCN (International organisation) — here: Technical evaluator whose recommendation led to the 2011 World Heritage listing; there: Body the US withdrew from
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