The Embobut Forest has become the site of ongoing dissent and violent conflict over the ownership and use of forest lands. The
Sengwer people have been the target of repeated and forcible evictions from the area by the
Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and other governmental agencies.
Amnesty International and the
Kenya Human Rights Commission recognize the Sengwer as
indigenous peoples whose claim to the area goes back hundreds of years and who are potentially productive partners in managing their lands. In contrast, the Kenyan government has promoted "the government narrative that there are no people living in Embobut forest", and "minority communities", differences in terminology that can have important cultural, legal and political implications. As of 2007, the
World Bank supported a forest conservation project in the area, expressing the hope that it would "improve the livelihoods of communities participating in the co-management of water and forests." As of October, 2018, the Sengwar were preparing an international petition to be taken to the
African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights in
Arusha,
Tanzania. They argue that a renewal of their traditional land management practices would be more effective for forest management than the actions of the KFS. ==Personages==