NAIROBI, Kenya — A new five-year programme aimed at empowering Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) is seeking to ensure that marginalised groups play a meaningful role in environmental governance and public decision-making processes.
The initiative, known as Together for People and Planet (ToPP), is being implemented by Hakijamii – Economic and Social Rights Centre with support from WWF-Kenya. The programme seeks to strengthen community participation in decisions affecting land rights, natural resources, conservation, and environmental protection.
For years, many indigenous communities, residents of informal settlements, and other vulnerable groups have argued that decisions affecting their livelihoods are often made without adequate consultation despite constitutional guarantees on public participation.
According to Hakijamii Executive Director Zipporah Muthama, the programme aims to address longstanding barriers that have excluded communities from governance processes.
“We are trying to amplify their voices because these communities are often sidelined when it comes to governance processes,” she said.
Building Capacity for Participation
The programme is currently working with the Ogiek community in Nakuru County and other marginalised groups to strengthen their ability to engage in policy discussions on land, conservation, and environmental management.
Muthama said many communities remain excluded because they lack the knowledge, tools, and skills necessary to effectively participate in governance structures.
“Most of them do not have the tools, skills, knowledge, and capacity to participate in governance processes. We want them to understand their rights and engage effectively with duty bearers,” she said.
Advocates argue that improving awareness and civic education is essential if communities are to influence policies that directly affect their lives.
Bridging the Information Gap
Environmental rights advocates say a lack of accessible information has historically limited public engagement in climate and environmental discussions.
Grace Oloo, vice-chairperson of the Environmental Rights Organisation in Kilifi County, said many citizens were unaware that the Constitution guarantees the right to a clean and healthy environment.
“When the new constitution was promulgated, it recognised the right to a clean and healthy environment, but many people were not aware of these rights,” she said.
Oloo noted that climate change discussions are often dominated by technical language that many citizens find difficult to understand.
“The language used in climate change discussions was not friendly to the common mwananchi. People could hear about climate change, but they did not fully understand what it meant or how it affected them,” she said.
She believes the new programme will help simplify complex policy issues and increase public awareness, enabling communities to engage more effectively with environmental governance processes.
Participation Beyond Environmental Issues
The challenges facing marginalised communities extend beyond environmental governance, according to housing rights advocates.
Ezekiel Rema of Muungano wa Wanavijiji said vulnerable groups continue to face exclusion in housing, service delivery, and development planning.
“They have been marginalised for many years,” he said. “You can see houses being built while demolitions are still taking place, and people are being displaced. In many cases, the people who deserve support are left out.”
Rema argued that public participation remains one of the strongest tools available to citizens, but is often undermined by limited access to information.
“The constitution gives people the right to decide what development they want in their areas. But if people are not informed, they cannot participate or even understand the documents being discussed,” he said.
Shaping Decisions, Not Just Attending Meetings
Hakijamii says representatives from indigenous communities in Nakuru and Narok counties are already participating in high-level forums, including Alternative Justice Systems conferences, where they engage policymakers and judicial officers on issues affecting their communities.
For Muthama, meaningful inclusion goes beyond attendance at public forums.
“It is not just about bringing vulnerable communities into the room. It is about ensuring their voices influence the final decisions,” she said.
