Why it’s not so easy for Kenya to quit African Court
President William Ruto addresses the Nation at State House Nairobi, Kenya during the naming of the first batch of the nominated Cabinet Secretaries on July 19, 2024. PHOTO | WILFRED NYANGARESI | NMG
Kenyan President William Ruto this week threatened to pull the country out of the Arusha-based African Court on People’s and Human Rights (ACPHR) over the pressure by residents of a part of the Rift Valley region to be allowed to occupy forest land despite caveats blocking such use.
A minority community, Ogiek, claim the Mau Forest as their ancestral land, a position the African Court entrenched in a decision in 2017, after which political and legal tussles ensued, impacting land registration and development in the region.
On Monday, while addressing the public in Kuresoi, Nakuru County in the Central Rift, the matter came up and the President expressed his frustration with the orders from the continental court restricting the use of the land.
“There is a court in Arusha. They have been taking me in circles, but I have told them they have two options: Either they lift the caveat, or we withdraw membership from that court,” the Kenyan leader said.
