Kalenjin sub-tribe, the Lembus, to be enumerated in the upcoming census exercise

A consent was on Wednesday entered between the Kalenjin sub-tribe, the Lembus and the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics to have them enumerated in the upcoming census exercise.

The consent that was signed before High Court Judge John Mativo by all parties in the case, also indicated to have the Lembus community considered a sub-tribe.

The Kalenjin sub-tribe had moved to court seeking to be recognized independently away from the Tugen and Maasai communities during the upcoming census, arguing that their culture and ancestry are distinct.

The Lembus community, which is habitually linked to the Tugens, claimed in their suit that the classification was erroneous and done without their consent thereby denying them crucial rights

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.

Through their lawyer, the group further argued that they are over 300,000 people living in the rift valley and that failure to recognize them as an official tribe in Kenya violates Article 45 of the Constitution which mandates the State to recognize and protect the family as a fundamental rights unit of the society and the necessary basis of the social order.

In court documents the group had sued Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i alongside Attorney General Kihara Kairuki.

They insist that the problem will persist if the court does not compel the government to meet their demands.

Lembus community lives in Baringo County.