Finally struggle for justice bears fruit in OSILIGI Kenya

The fight for justice on a painfully long winding road is tedious but nothing is sweeter than when it finally settles for you. Ourselves and partner organisation OSILIGI (Organisation for the Survival of the Il-Laikipiak Masaai Indigenous Group Initiatives) have been fighting for the rights of over 200 pastoralists community in Kenya who have lost lives, limbs and property due to careless disposal of live bombs by the British military who come to train in Mukogodo and wamba divisions of Kenya.

By Adan Wario Kabelo

29. July 2002

The fight for justice on a painfully long winding road is tedious but nothing is sweeter than when it finally settles for you. Ourselves and partner organisation OSILIGI (Organisation for the Survival of the Il-Laikipiak Masaai Indigenous Group Initiatives) have been fighting for the rights of over 200 pastoralists community in Kenya who have lost lives, limbs and property due to careless disposal of live bombs by the British military who come to train in Mukogodo and wamba divisions of Kenya. Unsuspecting pastoralists roam the plains in search of pasture for their cattle and when they come across strange shiny objects, stop to admire them and there it goes off with parts of their body if not their life. For decades, the cries from the community have been ignored until MS and other partners supported OSILIGI hold a national conference to discuss the consequence of the training exercise (dubbed –war games) in the arid areas in 2000. The presentation during the conference from the researchers, victims testimony and video documentary touched the participants who included NGOs, government of Kenya officials, top military officers in Kenya and local and international media. It was from here that philanthropic lawyers Leigh & day from UK heard of the situation and they launched investigation and after confirming all the evidence, sued the British government for atrocities against humanity. Despite all attempts to shelve the case, OSILIGI and the legal firm sustained the fight until they won on 19^th of July 2002. The British government settled for an out of court compensation for the victims. A whopping £ 4.5 million was agreed.

MS Kenya partnership with OSILIGI is specifically to strengthen the human rights capacity of OSILIGI by training community paralegal workers who did a great job in sensitising the community on their rights and responsibilities. Apart from supporting creation of awareness on the plight of this indigenous group to the rest of the world, MS also sponsored the negotiating team to UK and we are proud to be associated with such a success.

This gives credence to advocacy as a strategy. Its not about the money it’s the fact that the powerful can be made to recognise the rights of the poor and be warned that its eventually that expensive if you think you will get away with it. At least the victims have a reason to smile knowing that we are in Solidarity with them. Nothing satisfies like this!!

Adan Wario Kabelo
Programme Officer
MS Kenya