Bulari Lolki from Sesia in Northern Kenya

One community leader’s sentiments in Northern Kenya echo questions we have heard from hundreds of Indigenous and grassroots communities around the world. Carbon markets are intensifying pressure on land, particularly in places where collective tenure rights are weak or not formally recognized. This raises widespread concerns that carbon credit projects will lead to land grabs or will sideline communities in decision-making about what happens on their land. 

At the same time, many of the communities we work with welcome the revenue carbon projects can generate to support local livelihoods and conservation efforts — if they can set the terms under which projects move forward.

In practice, this remains difficult. Common challenges include:

• Highly technical language: Carbon projects often involve complex legal, financial, and scientific concepts (e.g., carbon accounting, the process of measuring and tracking how much carbon is stored or reduced by a project, and legal rights to emissions removals and reductions from project activities). This makes it difficult for communities to fully understand project terms, risks, and benefits and limits their ability to make informed decisions.

• Lack of transparency: Communities frequently have limited access to clear, timely, and complete information about project agreements, revenue flows, and safeguards. The lack of full disclosure during the project design and implementation creates uncertainty and can lead to mistrust or uninformed consent.

• Power imbalances in negotiations: Project developers and investors often have significantly greater resources, technical expertise, and legal support than the communities they engage with. Many of these communities are located in remote, underserved areas and have historically been marginalized by governments, with limited access to basic services. This makes it extremely difficult for communities to engage with developers on equal footing.  

As a result, communities find themselves at a crossroads: they seek the financial benefits that carbon projects promise to improve their livelihoods, while also striving to retain autonomy over their land and resources. In the context of uneven legal protections for their rights, communities struggle to negotiate fair agreements and often face pressure to accept unfavorable terms.

Organizing Collectively to Overcome Power Asymmetries

In the Northern Kenya Rangelands Carbon Project — the world’s largest soil carbon project encompassing Sesia, a Samburu pastoralist community in Northern Kenya — communities initially struggled to engage with the project proponent as equal partners. The first decade of the project brought many benefits, including improvements to grazing lands and more than 14 million USD in revenue for participating communities. But community members had concerns about how the project operated day to day. For example, they wanted full transparency about how much revenue the project generated. They also wanted greater autonomy to decide how the community share is used.  

In 2023, Maasai, Samburu, Turkana, Rendile, and Borana pastoralist communities began organizing collectively across the entire 2 million hectare project area. For the first time, community land management committees gained access to the project implementation agreement that defined grazing management, structures for project governance, and arrangements for revenue sharing. Together, they drafted a set of shared demands for a new agreement with the project proponent. 

Their demands included access to financial records and contracts with marketers of carbon credits; a dedicated project bank account with communities as signatories into which all revenue from carbon credit sales would be deposited; and a new revenue-sharing arrangement that gives communities the majority of the revenue from the project. They also proposed a new governance structure that would include representatives from all of the community land management committees and community conservancies involved in the project. 

Communities putting forward their demands catalyzed a renegotiation of the project implementation agreement. It also kick-started a process for renewing free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) with wide participation among all residents in deciding whether to approve the terms of the new agreement. Sesia and its neighboring communities believe carbon projects present an opportunity, but only if their rights are fully protected and the project is aligned with their vision for the future.

Practical Strategies for Protecting Community Rights

The strategies that pastoralist communities in northern Kenya used to overcome common challenges reflect key lessons we’ve learned alongside frontline communities across dozens of countries: 

1- Demystify the law. Before communities engage with a project developer, they should learn about their rights under national land laws. Conservation policies and legal frameworks for carbon trading may also include protections for community rights. If the community’s land rights are not formally recognized, carbon projects can pose significant risks and it may be harder to negotiate a fair agreement. 

In addition to national laws, there are also safeguards required by carbon certification standards that communities can use to protect themselves. These often include rights to access information, to give or refuse consent for the project to operate on community land, and the right to benefit from outside investment on the community’s land.

2- Conduct fact-finding. There are several key pieces of information that communities need to consider when determining if they want to engage in carbon credit projects. They include the type of project proposed; the track record of the project proponent; the impacts on land use, local ecosystems, and communities’ livelihoods and locations with cultural or spiritual significance; and the potential revenue from credit sales.

The project proponent is obligated to share much of this information with communities as part of FPIC. Still, communities often struggle to access the information they need to make decisions. To get the information communities need, they can:

• Request information, in as specific terms as possible, directly from the proponent in writing.
• Check national and global registries, like this one from Verra — one of the global standards that sets rules for carbon projects and issues carbon credits. Two particularly important documents to look for are (a) the project design document (PDD) and (b) monitoring and verification reports. 
• File right to information requests with the government agency responsible for approving and monitoring carbon projects. 

3- Use collective bargaining. Most carbon projects affect multiple communities. This creates an opportunity to build collective power. Communities are in a stronger position if they negotiate together as a united front. We have found two practices to be particularly powerful for collective bargaining:

• Form a negotiating team to represent the community’s (or communities’) collective interests. A negotiating team can maintain collective action across the community (or communities) and push for better terms that represent the interests of the community as a whole. The negotiating team can also be tasked with regularly updating the wider community, gathering input, and ensuring collective agreement on key decisions. 
• Identify the communities’ most important demands and use them to propose the terms for an agreement. Communities often wait for project developers to make an offer, but whoever makes the first offer tends to have an advantage because the initial proposal acts as a point of reference or “anchor” that shapes how both sides approach the negotiations. When communities put forward a proposal proactively, they have more power to shape the negotiations. 

4- Get legal support. Communities can successfully negotiate on their own, but it can be helpful to get support from community paralegals or lawyers at key steps, particularly during fact-finding, when evaluating an offer, and for a final review of the draft contract to ensure it is enforceable and aligns with existing laws. Community paralegals or grassroots justice defenders can also walk with the community through the full process, from understanding the community’s rights to fact-finding to negotiations to monitoring and enforcing any agreement that is reached.  

Together, these strategies can help communities engage from a position of power while reinforcing broader ongoing struggles for self-determination, land rights, and climate justice.

Building a Global Movement for Carbon Justice

Drawing on experience supporting communities to respond to carbon projects in more than 20 countries, members of the Grassroots Justice Network have launched a global campaign to put community rights and leadership at the center of carbon markets. Together, we identified six principles necessary to make carbon projects fair. 

The first principle is that carbon credits cannot be a substitute for companies reducing their own greenhouse gas emissions. The other five principles focus on the people who live where projects take place: respecting land and water rights; ensuring the right to FPIC, including the right to say no to proposed projects; advocating for the majority of revenue from carbon sales to go to communities for any projects on community land; recognizing and honoring communities’ leadership as land stewards; and ensuring that safeguards are effectively enforced.

We are actively working to bring the Carbon Justice Principles to life at the community, national, and global levels through peer learning and collective action. First, we are creating practical tools and resources that Indigenous Peoples and frontline communities can use to overcome power imbalances with project developers. Members of our network distilled lessons from negotiations with carbon project developers through a nine-month series of learning circles. We recently compiled those insights in “How to Negotiate with Carbon Project Developers”, a practical toolkit that offers strategies communities can use to find key information about a project, negotiate from a place of power, and monitor and enforce the terms if an agreement is reached. It also includes case studies from Kenya, Liberia, Zambia, Brazil, Colombia, and the Philippines. 

We also developed Carbon Justice 101, an online course that provides a practical orientation to how carbon markets work and the risks and opportunities for communities. The course will be offered on a regular basis, with updates on how to enroll posted on the course webpage.

Second, we are advocating collectively to shape the rules that govern carbon markets. National laws on carbon trading can set crucial norms securing communities’ land rights, right to FPIC, and revenue sharing. We distilled practical guidance for civil society groups engaged in shaping national policy in a second toolkit: “How National Legislation Can Advance Carbon Justice”.

Global frameworks define standards for the wider carbon market. Guided by the carbon justice principles, Network members have advocated collectively for stricter rules under Verra and Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, the UN mechanism that will govern how countries and companies can trade international carbon credits while meeting their climate commitments. 

Join us in calling for stronger recognition of community leadership and protections for community rights. You can get involved in the carbon justice campaign by joining our WhatsApp community, signing up for our newsletter, or letting us know if you are planning to participate in key policy forums this year.

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The post Putting the Leadership of Indigenous Peoples at the Center of Carbon Markets appeared first on Debates Indígenas.

For Indigenous Samburu, Borana, Rendille, Ogiek, Turkana, Elmolo, Pokot, and Sengwer women –many living hundreds of kilometers from courts, police posts, or health facilities– justice is rarely found in formal institutions. Instead, it is often negotiated under a tree, where elders prioritize clan harmony over a survivor’s dignity, healing, or rights. In these informal systems, women’s testimonies are minimized, violence is normalized, and perpetrators walk free. For Indigenous women and girls, silence is not a choice: it is enforced.

When Violence Meets Silence

In many pastoralist communities, survivors of rape or sexual abuse are still forced into so-called “compensation marriages”, where a girl is handed to the perpetrator’s family as settlement. Others are pressured to withdraw cases in the name of family honor or clan unity. Reporting violence is further complicated by geography: the nearest police station may be 70 to 120 kilometers away, with no transport, no fuel, and no guarantee of being heard. At times, local authorities intervene to suppress reporting, arguing that formal justice “destroys families”. What is destroyed instead is trust, safety, and the futures of girls.

To confront this reality, the Samburu Women Trust (SWT) established a Women’s Digital Centre, a modest but transformative space equipped with computers, internet access, phones, and documentation tools. For the first time in their lives, women and girls in remote villages can report cases promptly, document violations, and produce evidence required by the justice system without travelling for days. The center has become a lifeline for survivors trapped in cycles of violence.

The road to justice remains long and fragile. Survivors often walk for days across difficult terrain, carrying the trauma they have endured and facing intimidation from the perpetrators’ families.

The road to justice is long and fragile. Survivors walk for days, carrying the trauma they have endured and the intimidation of the perpetrators’ families.

SWT also created the Naramat Indigenous Women Arboretum, a sacred healing space rooted in land, culture, and collective care. Under the shade of indigenous trees, women gather for trauma healing, reflection, and solidarity. Here, stories once whispered in fear are spoken aloud with courage and the support of other women who have suffered similar experiences.

Still, the path to justice remains long and fragile. Survivors often walk for days through harsh terrain, carrying trauma and facing intimidation from perpetrators’ families. By the time they reach a police post, evidence may be compromised, files may disappear, and cases collapse. It is important to note that these are not isolated stories: they are the daily realities of Indigenous women across Kenya.

Bringing Justice Closer to the Villages

For over a decade, the Samburu Women Trust and the Indigenous Women Council (IWC) have walked alongside women and girls, crossing dry riverbeds, hills, and dusty roads, to close a justice gap that continues to widen. Our work is not only about awareness; it is about transforming power, restoring confidence in institutions, and ensuring women can speak without fear. Our approach is grounded in five interconnected pillars:

1. Community Legal Empowerment. We train Indigenous women paralegals who accompany survivors through every step of the justice process: reporting cases, understanding their rights, gathering evidence, and navigating police and court systems. As trusted daughters of their communities, these paralegals make justice more accessible and culturally grounded.

2. Challenging Harmful Elders’ Justice Systems. We engage male elders in order to confront mediation practices that treat rape or sexual abuse as negotiable family matters resolved through the transfer of livestock. Through sustained dialogue and training, more elders are now referring criminal cases to the formal authorities.

3. Safe Spaces for Girls. Under acacia trees and in village circles, SWT organizes girls’ leadership forums where girls learn about bodily autonomy, self-confidence, and their right to say no to female genital mutilation and forced marriage. These spaces nurture informed and courageous girls who know their rights.

4. Survivor-Centered Response. We collaborate with health facilities, police, local chiefs, and gender desks to ensure survivors receive medical care, psychosocial support, and legal follow-up. Our team accompanies girls from filing police statements to standing before magistrates, advocating for timely and child-sensitive justice.

5. National and Global Advocacy. Through the Indigenous Women Council, we elevate village realities to national, regional, and international platforms, advocating for gender-responsive justice systems, mobile courts, accountable policing, and recognition of Indigenous land and resource rights that shape women’s safety.

The Long Journey toward Justice

A mother from Narasha village told us sadly, “My daughter’s justice is 75 kilometers away.”Her words capture a painful truth: justice is shaped by geography, poverty, gender, power, and survival. Through sustained community engagement and survivor accompaniment, Samburu Women Trust has reopened stalled investigations, prevented forced marriages, supported girls through trials, and secured convictions in cases once silenced. Each case sets a precedent. Each voice breaks the silence for many others.

Change is emerging. Elders are increasingly referring cases to the police. Girls are refusing female genital mutilation and reporting threats. Women are organizing and demanding accountability. Chiefs and police officers are becoming more responsive as awareness grows. But the journey is far from over. Access to justice for Indigenous women and girls requires investment in mobile courts, functioning police posts, safe shelters, and culturally responsive, gender-sensitive services. Community actors, paralegals, women leaders, and traditional authorities must be recognized as equal partners.

Most importantly, Indigenous women and girls must remain at the center of all solutions. They are not only survivors; they are leaders, advocates, and architects of a more just future. For us at Samburu Women Trust and Indigenous Women Council, this work is more than advocacy – it is a lifelong commitment. We carry their stories. We push their cases. We stand with those who survive. And, in the territories, we walk long distances so that justice can finally reach the last woman in the last village.

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Hunter-gatherer communities include the Ogiek, Sengwer, Yiaku, Waata and Awer (Boni) peoples, while pastoralist groups include the Turkana, Rendille, Borana, Maasai, Samburu, Ilchamus, Somalis, Gabra, Pokot and Endorois. Despite their diversity, these communities share common challenges: insecurity of land tenure and resources, limited access to basic services, poor political representation, and persistent discrimination and exclusion. These problems have intensified in recent years as pressure for land, water, and natural resources has increased.

Kenya is a largely patriarchal society and Indigenous women are therefore affected both by their status as members of historically marginalized communities and by social norms entrenched within their own societies. These dynamics have limited their access to education, economic opportunities and leadership spaces, while constraining their ability to meaningfully influence cultural governance, decision-making and development processes.

Historical Context of Kenya

The roots of the peace and conflict dynamics affecting Indigenous Peoples in northern Kenya are deeply embedded in colonial and post-colonial legacies. These are mostly pastoralist communities, along with minority groups of hunter-gatherers and traditional blacksmiths. Their presence in the region dates back to the 17^th century when they developed sustainable livelihood systems, governance structures and cultural traditions that fostered peaceful coexistence, shared responsibility and communal resource sharing.

British colonial rule disrupted these systems, however, systematically dispossessing them of their most fertile lands through policies such as the establishment of so-called “White Highlands”, the imposition of alien colonial governance systems, the introduction of fixed colonial boundaries and the criminalization of mobile ways of life. These interventions fractured seasonal resource-sharing arrangements and weakened the institutions that had historically regulated access, mitigated conflicts, and maintained ecological balance.

Following independence, the Kenyan state retained these colonial models of governance and development. National policies prioritized sedentary agriculture, extractive economic development, and centralized state control while pastoralist regions remained marginalized and under-resourced. Northern Kenya was viewed as a peripheral and insecure “frontier” and as economically unproductive “wastelands” that required military control rather than rights-based inclusion. This framing entrenched patterns of chronic underdevelopment, structural violence, and recurrent conflicts that persist to this day..

Global Protection Tools

International human rights mechanisms have drawn attention to the situation of Indigenous pastoralist communities in northern Kenya, particularly in relation to land dispossession, development-induced displacement, and inadequate consultation on large-scale development, conservation and extraction projects. Pastoral communities have produced reports, held community consultations, strengthened movements, engaged in advocacy and worked with the media to ensure that local realities are taken into account in international scrutiny.

UN Special Rapporteurs on the rights of Indigenous Peoples have emphasized that communal land tenure, self-determination and Indigenous governance are central to conflict prevention and climate resilience. At the regional level, standards developed by the African Commission and the African Court on collective land rights have further strengthened pastoralists’ claims. These international and regional commitments have together reinforced reform efforts in Kenya and have positioned Indigenous Peoples-led and rights-based approaches as fundamental to peace and sustainable development.

Pastoralist communities have suffered processes of marginalization and social exclusion. This has resulted in limited access to development and political representation, various forms of exploitation, and displacement.

Pastoralist communities have been exposed to multidimensional poverty in a context marked by the effects of climate change.

At the local level, Indigenous communities have historically relied on complex systems of traditional governance, rooted in customary law, elders’ councils, spiritual authority, and reciprocal agreements for shared land use. These systems included carefully regulated access to pasture and water, such as restricting grazing in certain areas during wet seasons to ensure availability during periods of drought. This governance was well-suited to arid and semi-arid grasslands characterized by scarce and unpredictable rainfall, and contributed to the protection of biodiversity and vital ecosystems.

These communities have nevertheless long suffered processes of marginalization and social exclusion. This has resulted in limited access to development and political representation, various forms of exploitation, and forced displacement. As a consequence, they have been exposed to situations of multidimensional poverty in a context marked by the effects of climate change. Over time, conflict resolution systems have been further weakened by land alienation, environmental stress, a proliferation of firearms, and externally-imposed administrative boundaries that have fragmented Indigenous territories.

Land, Governance and Climate Resilience

A central driver of conflict in northern Kenya is insecure land tenure and the erosion of Indigenous governance systems and structures. Securing communal land rights is therefore foundational to peacebuilding. In more than two decades of work in the territory, the Indigenous Movement for Peace Advancement & Conflict Transformation (IMPACT) has been guided by the vision of “secure land tenure rights as a foundation for thriving communities”. For pastoralists and hunter-gatherers alike, land is not merely an economic asset but the foundation of identity, culture, livelihoods and social cohesion.

This urgency has shaped IMPACT’s interventions towards building programmes and models that help to protect land tenure, ensure sustainable resource management, strengthen inclusive governance frameworks, revitalize Indigenous decision-making institutions, and promote inclusion and peaceful coexistence. Our work is grounded in building the capacity of communities to defend their rights and on enabling national policy frameworks, strengthened by more than 30 years of trust-building between communities and their traditional institutions, as well as sustained partnerships across the landscape.

By anchoring peacebuilding in territorial rights and self-determination, the structural roots of conflict are addressed and dependence on conventional conflict resolution mechanisms is reduced.

By anchoring peacebuilding in territorial rights and self-determination, the structural roots of conflict are addressed.

Through these efforts, a community land protection programme has been established that has supported more than 30 community territories to obtain formal legal recognition under the 2016 Community Land Law. By anchoring peacebuilding in land rights and self-determination, these interventions address the structural roots of conflict, reducing reliance on conventional conflict resolution mechanisms and securitized responses. Indigenous communities are thus able to govern their territories and resources more equitably and peacefully.

Climate change is another factor that has altered the dynamics of conflict in northern Kenya by intensifying competition for land, water and pasture. Over the past century, Kenya has experienced more than 28 droughts, four of them in the last decade, thus exacerbating vulnerability in the north of the country. Sustainable peace in this context therefore depends on building climate-resilient livelihoods grounded in Indigenous knowledge and adapted to rangeland ecosystems. IMPACT is thus supporting pastoralism as a viable livelihood, promoting rangeland restoration and sustainable grazing practices, and strengthening Indigenous Peoples-led conservation and natural resource governance.

Towards Inclusive Peacebuilding

Peacebuilding in Indigenous contexts must be intergenerational and culturally grounded. Women and young people experience conflict differently and are excluded from formal peace processes, despite bearing the highest costs of violence and displacement. IMPACT is promoting inclusive peacebuilding by facilitating community peace committees, supporting women-led advocacy through bootcamps, and nurturing youth peace ambassadors to promote dialogue between ethnic groups.

IMPACT Kenya has also supported cross-border initiatives and regional pastoral movements aimed at strengthening sustainable pastoralism and addressing the systemic drivers of conflict that transcend administrative and national boundaries. Together, these approaches draw on Indigenous justice systems, collective memory, and restorative practices, prioritizing healing, reciprocity, and coexistence over punitive or militarized responses, thereby reinforcing locally legitimate pathways to peace.

The experience in northern Kenya demonstrates that sustainable peace is not achieved through militarized or top-down approaches but instead emerges from secure communities, robust community institutions and respect for self-determination.

The experience in northern Kenya shows that sustainable peace emerges from safe communities, robust community institutions, and respect for self-determination.

Looking ahead, peace and conflict dynamics in northern Kenya will continue to be shaped by climate stress, land tenure security, political influences, and pressures on land use, with ongoing risks of militarization, extractive expansion, and climate displacement. At the same time, there are significant opportunities for transformation: progress in community land registration, strengthening Indigenous Peoples-led governance systems, recognition of Free, Prior and Informed Consent, and greater participation and recognition of women and youth in peacebuilding.

The experience of Indigenous Peoples in northern Kenya demonstrates that sustainable peace is not achieved through militarized or top-down approaches but instead emerges from secure and strengthened communities, robust community institutions, and respect for Indigenous knowledge and self-determination. As conflicts intensify under climate and political pressures, Indigenous Peoples-led, rights-based peacebuilding offers viable pathways rooted in justice, autonomy, and coexistence. These approaches are not only essential in Kenya but also in global debates on Indigenous rights, conflict resolution, and decolonial paths to peace.

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In recent years, Mainyoito Pastoralists Integrated Development Organization (MPIDO) has facilitated data collection through surveys in Maasai communities in Kajiado County. MPIDO is an Indigenous organization based in Kenya that works with communities and other stakeholders to promote the rights of Indigenous Peoples and marginalized communities. The data collection process took place within the framework of the Indigenous Navigator, an initiative that seeks to empower Indigenous Peoples by systematically monitoring the level of recognition and implementation of their rights.

Building Trust through Community Data Collection

The data collection process began by identifying young people from the community itself, who were then trained by MPIDO as interviewers. During the training, they became familiar with the questionnaires and they shared strategies for approaching their communities. To facilitate the process, MPIDO translated the surveys into the Maa language, thus enabling the communities to better understand the consultation and provide more accurate responses. This was noted by Ole Sirere, a community elder who valued the use of his own language: “Nena taa taata enkilikwanare ang” (“Now these are our questions, we can make them our own”).

The Indigenous Navigator community survey included all sectors: women, elders, youth and leaders. Information was collected through focus groups (women and youth), key informant interviews (opinion leaders, traditional and administrative chiefs) and community assemblies with representatives from different villages. The communities had already participated in many studies and so they were initially suspicious and spoke of “research fatigue”, feeling overburdened by external questionnaires. However, they enthusiastically accepted the project because of its different nature: the involvement of local interviewers and the possibility of implementing small community projects.

Following analysis, the results were returned to the community for validation. The data revealed serious development gaps, human rights violations and clear political marginalization. Among the main shortcomings were a lack of community participation in development initiatives, the absence of basic services such as schools, health centres and drinking water, and land dispossession due to insecurity of tenure.

Food Insecurity in the Face of Climate Change

The Indigenous Navigator Initiative offers small grants for communities to develop solutions to the most pressing problems identified in the surveys. One such initiative was the Oltepesi Women’s Irrigation Project, implemented by MPIDO. Based on the data and community validation, food insecurity was determined to be the highest priority. The irrigation project was thus developed as a direct response to this need, reflecting a community-driven approach.

The Maasai community of Oltepesi lies 70 kilometres west of Nairobi, in the heart of the Great Rift Valley, and has a population of approximately 36,000. The arid landscape, with dormant volcanic formations, ashy soils and intermittent savannahs, is conducive to cattle ranching. Rising temperatures and erratic rainfall have, however, made this area extremely vulnerable to drought and famine, clear indicators of the climate crisis.

Recurrent droughts have been reducing the pastures and water sources, forcing men to migrate with their livestock. In the most severe cases, they may now migrate for nine months of the year. This leaves women and children without food and basic resources, forcing women to struggle to support their families. The project thus sought to support women in combatting food insecurity at the household level.

Food Security and Opportunities for Women

Although the Oltepesi community already had wells drilled thanks to a previous MPIDO project, the women did not have the means to utilize these beyond domestic consumption. During the surveys, they proposed incorporating simple irrigation systems that would channel water to their gardens, allowing them to grow food for their own consumption plus a surplus to sell. They would thus be able to feed their children, especially in dry periods when milk is scarce, and would have an alternative source of livelihood to livestock.

MPIDO established a partnership with Kajiado County Government and requested technical assistance from the Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture before starting the project. Agricultural experts conducted field visits to the community and provided guidance on proper irrigation methods, crop selection and sustainable agricultural practices adapted to the region. Analysis confirmed that the soil and climatic conditions were suitable for growing fruit and vegetables such as kale, tomatoes, squash, onions, cabbage and watermelon.

The change is especially noticeable for girls, who had not previously been a priority. Since Maa culture dictates that mothers must provide for the basic needs of their daughters, as family incomes improve, more girls are now able to go to school.

Since Maa culture dictates that mothers must provide for the basic needs of their daughters, as family incomes improve, more girls are now able to go to school.

Funded by a small grant from the Indigenous Navigator, the project was successfully implemented and is now in full production. The women are growing food for the household and selling the surplus, achieving economic stability. This allows them to send their children to school and ensure they remain there, laying the groundwork for breaking the cycle of poverty. The change is especially noticeable for girls, who had not previously been a priority due to cultural barriers. Since Maa culture dictates that mothers must provide for the basic needs of their daughters, as family incomes improve, more girls are now able to go to school.

In addition, women, who used to be burdened with unpaid domestic work (from caring for children and sick animals to collecting water and firewood) now have an income that allows them to hire help from within the community. They thus have more time for themselves and for other productive activities. With the profits they have made, they hope to expand the project and even replicate it in other villages.

Self-Determination and Advocacy through the Indigenous Navigator

Since its creation in 2000, MPIDO has implemented numerous projects. However, the Indigenous Navigator Initiative is particularly noteworthy for two reasons. The first is that this process offered Indigenous Peoples the opportunity to generate information for their own benefit. The interviewers were selected by the communities and trained by the Indigenous organizations. As Nayiari Oyie, an Indigenous woman from Oltepesi noted, “I am deeply moved to see our own children interviewing us because they belong here and really understand our problems.”

The second distinctive feature is that the Indigenous Navigator enabled communities to identify and prioritize their own problems, supporting them with small projects that respond to those needs. This has made a big difference because, often when data collected, it is not fed back to the communities, leaving them feeling used. Naboru Enole Kooshoi says: “We are very grateful because we have had surveys done in the past but, once the surveyors leave, we never see them again and we are left here with all our problems unresolved.”

Data from the Indigenous Navigator has already been incorporated into the county’s Integrated Development Plans, ensuring that some of the gaps identified are addressed with public funds.

The information generated at the community level is vital for developing policies, strengthening social participation and guiding governance strategies.

Beyond the projects financed, the information generated has become a key advocacy tool, feeding into development plans at the local level. Data from the Indigenous Navigator has already been incorporated into the county’s Integrated Development Plans, ensuring that some of the gaps identified are addressed with public funds. In this way, communities have information that enables them to demand accountability from the local and national authorities.

In short, the Indigenous Navigator Initiative empowers Indigenous communities to collect and use their own data on issues crucial to their rights and self-determined development. Information generated at the community level is vital for making appropriate decisions, developing policies, strengthening social participation and guiding governance and development strategies determined by Indigenous Peoples themselves.

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Many Indigenous communities have suffered from so-called “research fatigue”, i.e., the feeling generated by external studies that extract information from the territories without leaving any tangible benefit behind. Instead, the Indigenous Navigator empowers communities, ensuring that their voices are heard and their needs prioritized in a way that respects their autonomy and their own development. Their worldview, priorities and needs are thus reflected in the surveys.

This article emphasizes the experiences and outcomes of conducting surveys through the Indigenous Navigator in Narok County, southern Kenya. It highlights how the process has resulted in advocacy actions, improved access to water and the construction and implementation of healthcare facilities, strengthening the Maasai and Ogiek peoples to defend their rights, define their development priorities and improve their economic and social well-being.

Data Collection and Empowerment

A key element of the Indigenous Navigator Initiative is its emphasis on community-led data collection. The Indigenous rights organizations that work closely with local communities play a key role in this process. One such organization is Indigenous Livelihoods Enhancement Partners (ILEPA), a non-profit, community-based non-governmental organization in Kenya that promotes human rights, social justice, environmental protection, climate change advocacy and grassroots development, with a special focus on supporting the Maasai community in Narok County.

The data collection process begins with the translation of the Indigenous Navigator-developed questionnaire into local languages by ILEPA, which ensures accessibility and understanding. The next step is to identify data collectors in consultation with the community. These individuals, drawn from within the community, are trained in the main points of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and in the proper administration of the survey.

Once the data is collected, it is presented in community assemblies for validation, ensuring that it reflects the needs and concerns of the population. This process encourages active participation and fosters a sense of ownership. The data collectors then review and comment on the information with the technical support of the ILEPA team. Quantitative data are then uploaded to the Indigenous Navigator online portal, while ILEPA conducts additional qualitative analyses in order to develop site-specific case studies. These findings are again shared with the community during assemblies, generating opportunities for feedback and discussion.

A Health Centre for Women in Labour

The initiative includes a small grants fund that enables participating communities to identify their most pressing issues based on the data collected and to design and implement their own solutions. The Keneti community was identified as most in need of support among the four that participated in the community survey process. With technical assistance from ILEPA, they developed a project to improve access to basic health services through the construction of a primary-level healthcare facility.

Through focus groups, key informant interviews and community discussions using the questionnaire, the different sectors of the population agreed that a lack of access to basic health services was the biggest problem facing them. They also agreed on the need to build a water reservoir in Enkutoto, to dredge the dam in Maji-moto for irrigation, to construct a maternity hospital in Maji-moto and another clinic in Ololoipang’i, and to document land claims in Maji-moto and Enkutoto.

In the absence of nearby health services, women in labour have to be transported on donkeys, while disabled or elderly people are often unable to travel long distances.

In the absence of nearby health services, women in labour have to be transported on donkeys.

From the data collected, it emerged that the nearest health facilities are located 10 to 12 kms outside of Keneti, which is further complicated by the poor state of the road infrastructure. Vulnerable groups such as women, people with disabilities and the elderly are disproportionately affected by this situation. In the absence of nearby health facilities, women in labour have to be transported by donkey, while disabled or elderly people are often unable to travel long distances.

These small grants are highly valuable because they are driven directly by Indigenous communities. The needs are identified from within, without external influence, ensuring that initiatives align with their most pressing concerns. Moreover, by involving the community in both data collection and project implementation, the initiative fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility, thus contributing to the sustainability of these actions.

Main Achievements and Positive Impacts

The Indigenous Navigator project has yielded a number of important achievements and positive impacts within the participating communities. These outcomes not only reflect the effectiveness of the initiative but also highlight the importance of community-driven development in improving the lives of Indigenous Peoples.

1. Availability of Indigenous data: the data revealed critical problems, such as the long distances (an average of 15 kms) that people must travel to access clinics, resulting in high maternal mortality rates. Water scarcity and sediment accumulation in the Maji-moto reservoir was also identified as a major challenge.

2. Improved access to health services: access to health care has improved significantly. The construction of a dispensary and maternity ward in Maji-moto and Ololoipang’i has reduced maternal deaths and improved healthcare services for mothers and children. The Maji-moto dispensary and maternity ward gained national attention when it was featured in the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation’s Saving Mothers documentary. In addition, Narok County government assigned three health professionals to these clinics and pledged to ensure a continuous supply of basic medicines.

3. Land rights advocacy: the surveys revealed cases of illegal land allocations and land grabbing. These findings were cited in a landmark court ruling that secured the land rights of the Maji-moto community. The ruling has led to the recovery of public and community lands, to the benefit of both individual households and the wider community.

4. Food security: the rehabilitation of a reservoir in Maji-moto has significantly improved the food security of more than 500 agro-pastoral households, demonstrating the vital link between access to water and sustainable livelihoods.

5. Access to water: one of the most important projects has been the construction of a large reservoir in Enkutoto. This work has reduced the distance women have to travel to collect water from 15-20 kms to just 1-3 kms. The project has also helped reduce human-wildlife conflicts by ensuring a stable source of water for both.

6. Advocacy and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): the data collected has been referenced in Kenya CSOs’ SDGs Forum Report and voluntary organizations’ national reports. In 2020, ILEPA received the National SDGs Kenya Award for localizing these goals at the community level. In addition, the information has been used in advocacy efforts at both the local and national levels, influencing public policy decisions such as reducing water access distances in Narok County.

7. National recognition: ILEPA’s work has received national recognition, including collaboration with the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics to validate and incorporate community-generated data into official reports. Information from the Indigenous Navigator has also been cited in Kenya’s Climate Action Plan and in REDD+ processes, highlighting its significance in shaping national development strategies. Internationally, ILEPA received the Equator Prize in 2024, in recognition of its efforts and interventions at the community level.

A Community-Driven Model for Sustainable Development

The long-term impact of the Indigenous Navigator Initiative is expected to be transformative for the communities involved. By empowering Indigenous Peoples to lead their own development, the project has laid the foundations for sustainable, rights-based progress. Communities are now better equipped to advocate for their needs and to monitor and influence policies at both the local and national levels.

For the Maji-moto community, the Indigenous Navigator has provided a model of sustainable, community-driven development. It has shown that when Indigenous Peoples have control over data collection and make their own decisions about their development, the outcomes are not only more relevant and effective but also more sustainable in the long term.

When communities lead the data generation process, the results are locally transformative and globally scalable, offering hope for a future in which Indigenous rights and development priorities are respected.

When communities lead the data generation process, the results are transformative, offering hope for a future that respects Indigenous rights.

The experiences of the Maasai and Ogiek communities in Narok County offer a powerful example of how the Indigenous Navigator can serve both as a legal tool and as a catalyst for development: advancing land justice, as demonstrated by the Maji-moto court ruling on land rights; improving access to water, health and food security for Indigenous communities; influencing national policies on SDGs and climate action; and pushing for the recognition and use of Indigenous-generated data in official reporting.

As the Indigenous Navigator Initiative expands to 30 countries, Kenya’s experience stands as a compelling model for rights-based monitoring. It demonstrates that when Indigenous communities lead the data generation process, the results are not only locally transformative but also globally scalable, offering hope for a future in which Indigenous Peoples’ rights are respected and their development priorities are addressed.

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