This archive report was first published on 5 August 2019.
Published on August 5, 2019, a Kalenjin sub-tribe, the Lembus, has moved to court seeking recognition as an independent ethnic group in Kenya.
The community, which is habitually linked to the Tugens, claims that their culture and ancestry are distinct from the Tugen and Maasai communities.
They argue that the classification of the Lembus as part of the Tugen community is erroneous and done without their consent, thereby denying them crucial rights.
“That pending hearing and determination of this application, this court be pleased to issue conservatory orders restraining the government from enumerating members of the Lembus ethnic community as belonging to the Tugen community in the 2019 population and housing census,” read court papers.
The community, through lawyer Duncan Okubasu, accused the State of exposing them to mistreatment, adding that the marginalisation of their members has been occasioned by failure to recognise them as a distinct ethnic group.
They further warned that the problem will persist if the court does not compel the government to meet their demands.
The Lembus community is one of the smallest ethnic groups in Kenya’s Baringo County, with slightly more than 300,000 members, of whom 60,000 are registered as voters.
The group has sued Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i alongside Attorney General Kihara Kariuki.
