Advocate for Land & Environmental Rights of Turkana & Lamu Communities in Kenya

General

The project seeks to ensure that communities (with a key focus on grassroot women) from Taita Taveta, Turkana and Kwale counties where gemstones, gold and mineral sands respectively are mined, fully benefit from the sector's value chain and have the space to meaningfully engage private sector and government in securing benefits from these resources. The project aims to enhance land tenure security and environmental safeguards for communities living within the South Lokichar Basin in Turkana and Lamu through empowering women and young people to adequately participate in legislation, monitoring of international companies and influence county and national governments to regulate the Extractives Industries through implementation of policies. The activities will be implemented through a national level partner – CANCO (Community Action for Nature Conservation) through the Kenya Oil and Gas Working Group that advocates for and contributes to good environmental governance, conservation and sustainable use of natural resources and responsible development. Activities will be centered on strengthening the capacity and voices of women and youth in the community through 6 awareness raising sessions conducted to sensitize communities on their land rights, Free Prior Informed Consent and ecosystem restoration through meaningful public participation, resulting in the formalization of 2 land committees within Turkana East (Nakukulas) and Turkana South (Kamarase). Additionally, 100 women and Youth will be targeted to hold capacity building sessions on the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan in Lamu. Furthermore, there will be advocacy and partnership engagements with relevant stakeholders throughout the project cycle which will involve 50 stakeholders (from National Environmental Management Authority, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning, Council of Governors, County Governments of Turkana and