Who gains from saving nature
Ledger 1 : 33 — For each dollar financing nature-based solutions in 2023, about $33 financed activities harmful to nature. (UNEP)
Cases / Protected area / relocation · Kenya · 2014–2024

Sengwer evictions from Embobut forest and the EU Water Towers programme (Kenya)

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured. Disputed
People
  • 1 people died.
    A 41-year-old Sengwer herder shot at Kapkok Glade, Embobut forest.
  • 1 people were injured.
    A second man injured in the same incident.
  • About 7,000 people were displaced or listed for relocation.
    Sengwer evicted from Embobut in January 2014; about 70% later returned (Bretton Woods Project).
What the record lacks: 3 none on record · 3 insufficient · 1 not measured · 6 disputed · 1 unclear See the gaps
Accounts of the harm differ
Are the evictions protecting the forest?
  • Government and regulators Government of Kenya: The evictions protect the water towers from illegal farming, logging and charcoal production. Nation (Mwananchi)
  • Communities and civil society Sengwer communities, as reported by REDD-Monitor: Vowed to remain in Embobut forest despite the 2020 court ruling. REDD-Monitor

A Sengwer herder was shot dead in January 2018 in Embobut forest, Kenya, by Kenya Forest Service guards during evictions linked to an EU-funded water-tower programme. The EU suspended the programme the next day and closed it in 2020; evictions continued in 2024.

EUR 31 millionEU programme suspended the day after the killing
Programme value as reported (about US$35 million); not a measure of money spent on the ground.

Status As of May 2024: evictions under the Imarisha Msitu operation reported; the Sengwer's 2018 petition is listed as ongoing and no prosecution for the 2018 killing was found.

What?
A Sengwer herder was shot dead by Kenya Forest Service guards during evictions in Embobut forest in January 2018. The EU, which funded a EUR 31 million water-tower programme in the area, suspended it the next day and closed it in 2020; evictions continued in 2024. Forest Peoples Programme
Where?
Embobut forest, Cherangany Hills, Elgeyo-Marakwet, Kenya; Kapkok Glade for the 2018 shooting. Nation (Mwananchi)
When?
Evictions in 2014; EU programme from June 2016; shooting 16 January 2018; suspension 17 January 2018; closure 2020; operation April–May 2024. Forest Peoples Programme
Who?
Gained
None on record
Lost
  • Sengwer communities of Embobut forest — About 7,000 evicted in January 2014 (about 70% later returned); a man killed in 2018; more than 600 families removed in 2024 by the ministry's count. Bretton Woods Project
  • European Union — Closed its EUR 31 million WaTER programme in 2020. REDD-Monitor
Harmed
  • A 41-year-old Sengwer herder (killed) and a second man (injured) — Shot by Kenya Forest Service guards at Kapkok Glade on or about 16 January 2018. Forest Peoples Programme
Why?
The government states that the evictions protect the water towers from illegal farming, logging and charcoal production; the Sengwer and advocacy groups dispute the evictions. Nation (Mwananchi)
How?
KFS guards carried out evictions in the forest; the 2024 operation deployed 170 officers. Nation (Mwananchi)
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

Cherangany Hills and Mount Elgon are called Kenya's water towers because they feed the country's rivers. In June 2016 the European Union started a EUR 31 million programme with the Kenyan government, WaTER, to protect these forests. The government describes the evictions of people from the forests as protecting the water towers from illegal farming, logging and charcoal production.

The Sengwer had been evicted from Embobut forest before. In January 2014 about 7,000 Sengwer were evicted, and about 70% of them later returned, according to the Bretton Woods Project. In 2014 the World Bank's Inspection Panel found that the risk of eviction in a forest project the Bank approved in 2007 was foreseeable but had not been identified, and that safeguards had not been applied correctly. The Bank's president welcomed the finding that the Bank was not linked to the evictions. No record of compensation was found.

About 16 January 2018, Kenya Forest Service (KFS) guards, reported to number about 40, shot and killed a 41-year-old Sengwer herder, at Kapkok Glade in Embobut forest during evictions; a second man was injured. Three UN special rapporteurs had earlier asked the EU to suspend its funding. The EU ambassador to Kenya, Stefano Dejak, announced the next day, 17 January 2018, that support was suspended. The EU closed the programme in 2020, citing a “lapsing of a contractual deadline”. No prosecution of any guard for the killing was found.

In 2020 a Kenyan court dismissed the Sengwer's case; in 2021 the Court of Appeal ordered that people living in the forest on that day should not be evicted. In August 2023 a water fund of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) that overlaps Embobut set aside KSh 5 million for the Sengwer and KSh 15 million for the Ogiek and Cherangani communities.

In April and May 2024 KFS sent 170 officers into Embobut in an operation called “Imarisha Msitu”. According to the ministry, more than 600 families were removed; a photo caption reported about 200 homes burned. Minority Rights Group counted more than 800 homes and more than 2,800 families. KFS said it had paid 2,874 families KSh 410,000 each in 2013 and that the Sengwer had violated the court order by returning to the forest; the community said it had not received the payment.

  1. 2013KFS says it paid 2,874 families KSh 410,000 each (the community says it did not receive the payment)
  2. 2014About 7,000 Sengwer evicted from Embobut in January; World Bank Inspection Panel finds safeguards not applied correctly (November)
  3. 2016June: EU launches the EUR 31 million WaTER programme
  4. 201816 January: a Sengwer herder shot dead; 17 January: EU suspends WaTER support
  5. 2020Kenyan court dismisses the Sengwer's case; EU closes the programme
  6. 2021Court of Appeal orders that people living in the forest that day are not to be evicted
  7. 2023August: a TNC water fund overlapping Embobut allocates KSh 5 million to the Sengwer and KSh 15 million to the Ogiek and Cherangani
  8. 2024April–May: KFS “Imarisha Msitu” operation, 170 officers; ministry says 600+ families removed

What was said

Claims, in the words of those who made them.

“lapsing of a contractual deadline”

European Union, as the reason cited for closing the WaTER programme · 2020 · REDD-Monitor

Where accounts differ

Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.

Are the evictions protecting the forest?
Government and regulators
Government of Kenya

The evictions protect the water towers from illegal farming, logging and charcoal production.

Nation (Mwananchi)
Communities and civil society
Sengwer communities, as reported by REDD-Monitor

Vowed to remain in Embobut forest despite the 2020 court ruling.

REDD-Monitor
Was compensation paid in 2013?
Government and regulators
Kenya Forest Service

Paid 2,874 families KSh 410,000 each in 2013; the Sengwer then returned to the forest in violation of the court order.

Nation (Mwananchi)
Communities and civil society
Sengwer community

Said it did not receive the payment.

Nation (Mwananchi)
How many people were affected by the 2024 operation?
Government and regulators
Ministry (as reported by Nation)

More than 600 families removed; a photo caption reported about 200 homes burned.

Nation (Mwananchi)
Communities and civil society
Minority Rights Group

Counted more than 800 homes and more than 2,800 families.

Minority Rights Group
Why did the EU programme end?
International bodies
European Union

Closed the programme in 2020, citing a “lapsing of a contractual deadline”.

REDD-Monitor
Press and investigations
REDD-Monitor headline

EU scraps US$35 million conservation and climate change programme in Kenya over forced evictions.

REDD-Monitor
Communities and civil society
Forest Peoples Programme

Reported that an Indigenous Sengwer man was shot and killed in an EU-funded project.

Forest Peoples Programme
Did the World Bank bear responsibility for the 2014 evictions?
International bodies
World Bank Inspection Panel

Found in 2014 that safeguards in a forest project approved in 2007 had not been applied correctly and that the eviction risk was foreseeable.

Bretton Woods Project
International bodies
World Bank president

Welcomed the finding that the Bank was not linked to the evictions.

Bretton Woods Project

How it looked

What was shown, beside what was recorded.

Shown

  • The evictions protect the water towers from illegal farming, logging and charcoal production.
    Government of Kenya, as reported by Nation (Mwananchi), 9 May 2024 · Nation (Mwananchi)

Recorded

  • Kenya Forest Service guards shot and killed a 41-year-old Sengwer herder at Kapkok Glade, Embobut forest, about 16 January 2018; a second man was injured; reports say about 40 guards were present.
    Forest Peoples Programme
  • The EU suspended the EUR 31 million (about US$35 million) WaTER programme on 17 January 2018 and closed it in 2020.
    REDD-Monitor
  • In 2014 the World Bank Inspection Panel found that the Bank had not applied safeguards correctly in a forest project it approved in 2007; about 7,000 Sengwer had been evicted from Embobut in January 2014.
    Bretton Woods Project
  • In 2020 a court dismissed the Sengwer's case; REDD-Monitor reported that Sengwer communities vowed to remain in Embobut despite the ruling.
    REDD-Monitor
  • In 2021 the Court of Appeal ordered that people living in the forest on that day were not to be evicted.
  • In April–May 2024 KFS deployed 170 officers; the ministry said more than 600 families were removed; Minority Rights Group counted more than 800 homes and more than 2,800 families.
    Nation (Mwananchi)
  • A TNC water fund overlapping Embobut allocated KSh 5 million to the Sengwer and KSh 15 million to the Ogiek and Cherangani (August 2023).

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
EU WaTER programme, announced value (suspended 17 January 2018, closed 2020)€31m
Programme value as reported; spending is not given in the sources reviewed.
Currency: EUR · Window: 2016–2020. All figures cover the same period. * Estimate built from cited figures.

Responses on record

  • eu (17 January 2018): The Kenya ambassador, Stefano Dejak, announced that support to the WaTER programme was suspended. · Forest Peoples Programme
  • eu (2020): Closed the programme in 2020, citing a “lapsing of a contractual deadline”. · REDD-Monitor
  • kfs (May 2024): Said it paid 2,874 families KSh 410,000 each in 2013 and that the Sengwer violated the court order by returning to the forest. · Nation (Mwananchi)
  • kenya-gov (May 2024): A ministry said more than 600 families were removed in the 2024 operation, and the government described the evictions as protecting the water towers from illegal farming, logging and charcoal production. · Nation (Mwananchi)
  • world-bank (November 2014): The Bank's president welcomed the Inspection Panel's finding that the Bank was not linked to the evictions. · Bretton Woods Project

In court and with insurers

Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

Lawsuits and rulings

  1. 2020Dismissed
    Sengwer case, dismissed 2020
    Kenyan court (not specified in the sources reviewed) · Civil · Sengwer →

    A court dismissed the Sengwer's case in 2020; Sengwer communities said afterwards they would remain in Embobut forest. REDD-Monitor

  2. 2021Claimant won
    Sengwer appeal: order against eviction, 2021
    Court of Appeal, Kenya · Appeal · Sengwer →

    The Court of Appeal ordered that people living in the forest on that day should not be evicted. Evictions were nevertheless reported in 2024; KFS says the Sengwer violated the order by returning to the forest.

  3. 2018–Ongoing
    Sengwer petition of 2018
    Not specified in the sources reviewed · Civil · Sengwer →

    The Sengwer's 2018 petition is listed among cases still ongoing.

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.

People shot at Embobut, January 2018
1 killed, 1 injured
A Sengwer herder aged 41 killed; a second man injured
Sengwer evicted, January 2014
About 7,000
About 70% later returned (Bretton Woods Project)
Families removed, April–May 2024
600+ vs 2,800+
Ministry count of families vs Minority Rights Group count of families

What we don't know

Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Deaths reportedDisplacement reportedCourt ruling existsCase pending / contested

Nature

  • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
  • Disputed Are the evictions protecting the forest?

Figures

  • Insufficient Homes burned: From a photo caption; the ministry's own figure is for families removed.
  • Insufficient Compensation per family: KFS says it paid 2,874 families this amount each; the community says it was not received.

Accounts

  • Disputed Was compensation paid in 2013?
  • Disputed How many people were affected by the 2024 operation?
  • Disputed Why did the EU programme end?
  • Disputed Did the World Bank bear responsibility for the 2014 evictions?

Record

  • None on record No prosecution of any Kenya Forest Service guard for the January 2018 killing was found.
  • None on record The sources reviewed give no ecological measurements of Embobut forest or the water towers before or after the evictions.
  • Disputed Counts of the 2024 evictions differ by source: the ministry reported more than 600 families removed and a photo caption about 200 homes burned; Minority Rights Group counted more than 800 homes and more than 2,800 families. None is an independent count.
  • Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: 28 Sengwer homes were burned in July 2020; no prosecution found.
  • Unclear Whether KFS's 2013 payments of KSh 410,000 per family reached the families is disputed and no independent record was found.
  • None on record The sources reviewed do not report what the Sengwer's 2018 petition has produced: it is listed as ongoing.

Did the harm stop?

The EU suspended the programme on 17 January 2018, the day after the shooting, and closed it in 2020. Evictions continued: in April–May 2024 the ministry reported more than 600 families removed.

Who paid?

The Sengwer: a man was killed, about 7,000 people were evicted in 2014 and, by the ministry's count, more than 600 families were removed in 2024. The EU programme was closed.

Sources

Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations✓ Communities and civil society— Researchers

Press and investigations

Communities and civil society

  4. Sengwer evictions (summary)
    Minority Rights Group · 2024

Connected cases

Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
Terms used on this page

Places and local terms

Conservancy (Kenya)
In Kenya, land managed by a community or private owners for wildlife alongside grazing, often with outside partners.
Pastoralists
People whose livelihoods depend on moving livestock between grazing lands.

Carbon and conservation finance

REDD+
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation. A UN framework under which forest projects earn carbon credits for deforestation they say they prevented, measured against a projected baseline.

Bonds and banking

Arranger
The bank that structures and sells a bond or loan deal, usually for a fee.
Guarantee
A commitment by a third party, often a development bank, to pay if the borrower does not.

Law and courts

Land titling
Formal legal recognition of ownership of land.
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