The Community has appealed on the Centre for International Human Rights Law and Advocacy CIHRA to pursue any legal means necessary to hold those accountable for the current unlawful actions against this poor and marginalized Samburu community.

Through a letter written and copied to the Attorney General Githu Muigai, Forestry and Wildlife minister Noah Wekesa and the Kituo Cha Sheria, the bone of contention is the decision by the wildlife body with the assistance of AWF and NTC to purchase 17,000 acres of land in Laikipia to convert into a national park.

Last week the community held peaceful demonstrations to protests continuous harassment by police, who so far have killed two persons, destroyed their Manyattas and displaced them resulting to one child who got disorientated from a makeshift manyatta and eaten by a lion

“The police have been harassing us, we don’t sleep, they are even raping women, slaughtering our goats by force and beating as like children,” said Ms Nalotuang Tepeshe

They accused KWS of purchasing 17,000 acres of land from former President Moi which it intends to turn into a nature conservancy called Laikipia National Park.

The community through their spokesman Mr Joseph Lekamario said KWS purchase of the land was illegal because the Samburu have acquired rights to this land under the Kenyan Constitution and international law by residing on the land continuously for over 90 years.

Mr Lekamario argued that, the said land, is currently the subject of a lawsuit before Justice Joseph Sergon at the High Court in Nyeri reference number L.R. No. 10068.Since KWS and the police entered the land over 50 elephants have been killed and no action is being taken by the relevant authorities.

The suit was filed by the Samburu against the African Wildlife Foundation and the former President Moi to prevent illegal forcible evictions from their land.

According to the community KWS purchase of the land as well as actions taken before the purchase is indirect violation of the court ordered injunction. To formalise continuous police presence in the suit land, last year the provincial administration rushed to gazette the suit land as a police post.

“KWS represents to the world that it is purchasing the land in the name of conservation, but neglects to disclose that in the process it will illegally remove whole communities of women, children, and elderly Samburu from the land leaving them homeless and without any place to go,” said Mr Lekamario.

Last year CIHRA wrote a letter AG, Forestry and wildlife ministry and accused KWS for failing to disclose its true purpose which is to make millions of dollars in revenue from tourist visits to the conservancy.

 “The Centre, the Samburu Community, and the international community are well aware of the true intentions and consequences of KWS’ recent purchase of the land and we will do everything within our means to continue to protect the Samburu people,” Read the letter in part.

The Human rights body through Mr Travis LaSalle said in the letter the Centre is carefully documenting all actions taken by KWS and will pursue any legal means necessary in alliance to hold KWS accountable for its current unlawful actions. The actions include filing to hold KWS in contempt of court.

“Since May of 2009, various groups have been trying to forcibly and illegally evict the Samburu people from this land you just purchased,” the letter says in part. It is signed by Lasalle of the Centre

 The Centre has also vowed to report these actions to a variety of international human rights groups and governmental organizations.