Tension gripped Oldonyonyokie Group Ranch in Kajiado County after a meeting between local residents and representatives of a foreign company seeking to lease community land for a carbon credit project was disrupted by protests.
The proposed deal would have seen community members sign over rights to their land for a 40-year lease.
However, the meeting quickly turned chaotic as a group of young men from the community opposed the plan.
Chanting slogans and waving twigs in a traditional show of dissent, the youth urged their parents not to sign the agreement.
They even warned that endorsing the deal without their consent would escalate tensions within the community.
As the protests escalated, a contingent of police officers was immediately dispatched to the scene to combat any attempts by the armed youth to cause any chaos.
However, the adamant demonstrators could be seen bravely approaching the police as they vented their frustrations at the foreigners. During the protests, the youths warned their parents against entering into any deal with the foreign firm.
For the past three years, there have been significant developments and controversies surrounding carbon credit initiatives, particularly in Kajiado County.
Kajiado Governor Joseph Ole Lenku has, several times, revoked certain carbon credit agreements between private entities and local communities, citing concerns about opaque contracts and possibilities of exploitation.
While such projects aim to generate carbon credits and provide income to local communities, communities in Kajiado raised concerns about the project’s potential impact on grazing land and homesteads.
Barely a month ago, Kajiado residents held another protest, lamenting the lack of proper engagement by the foreign firms which seek to acquire their land for the carbon credits.
According to a youth who spoke to the press on April 7, while they were hard pressed to give out their land, the companies had yet to explain to them the meaning of carbon credits and how it would benefit them.
“Those taking signatures, they are taking our parents’ signatures without their consent; my parent is not learnt, but they sign the agreement on their behalf. We are warning leaders behind this game,” commented a youth.
