Evictions of Indigenous people known as the Ogiek, who inhabit the Mau Forest in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, have been happening ever since British colonialists first forced many of them into reserves in the 1920s.
Joseph Towett, 53, is just one of thousands of victims. His family was evicted from the forest and settled in Molo, Nakuru County. As one of the very few to be resettled, he is more fortunate than most.
“In the history of Mau, there have been 17 evictions. Fifteen evictions targeted the Ogiek. They were being removed, and the settlers created land,” Towett told The New Humanitarian as part of the short film below highlighting their plight.