An Examination of Children’s Right to Education During Forceful Evictions: a Case Study of Embobut Ward in Elgeiyo Marakwet County, Kenya
View/ Open
Date
2021Author
Chelimo, Maurice K
Type
ThesisLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of forceful evictions on the right to
education of the Sengwer child in the Embobut forest. Specifically, the study sought to
identify specific rights to education that are violated during forceful evictions. After
identifying the specific rights to education that are violated, the study evaluated the
educational challenges experienced due to forced evictions in Embobut ward, Elgeyo
Marakwet County. The study adopted a qualitative approach using focus group
discussions (FGD) and key informant interviews (KI). The key informants comprised
fifteen (15) teachers and two (2) head teachers within two selected schools, and one
Curriculum Support Officer (CSO) from the area. The focus group discussion comprised
of sixteen (16) household heads (eight people in each group) from the Maron sublocation
where the Sengwer indigenous community resides. The data was analyzed
through thematic analysis where data was assigned codes to enable content description by
theme. Two theories were used: the human rights based approach (HRBA) and the
capability theory. These two share a common purpose as they seek to empower human
beings to seek and enjoy human rights to the maximum. The two are united in their focus
on human dignity and equality. The main findings of the study were that, during forceful
evictions, the Sengwer child’s right to education was violated in a number of ways. The
forceful evictions involved removal from place of residence and school ending up in
congested temporary camps not conducive for learning. The latter in turn impacted
negatively on the Sengwer child’s right to basic education; right to health; right to
clothing, food, and, shelter and right to access adequate learning materials. The study also
found out that during the 2014 forceful evictions, a number of learning institutions were
closed down. These included three (3) unregistered ECDE centers and one (1)
unregistered public primary school, which was one of the two schools under study. The
closure had its own effects on the Sengwer’s child right to education that include low
enrolment and low school attendance occasioned by increased absenteeism. A significant
finding was that, while Embobut ward witnessed low enrolment, there was relative rise in
enrolment in the neighboring schools unaffected by the evictions. Based on these
findings, the study concluded that Embobut evictions negatively impacted the Sengwer’s
child right to education. In line with the findings and conclusion, the researcher made a
number of recommendations. First, the Kenyan government needs to look for alternative
land to, permanently, resettle the Sengwer indigenous people as a community so; they are
able to enjoy all the rights other citizens enjoy under the constitution and related
international human rights instruments. Second, that, the Kenyan government should
initiate dialogue with all the residents, local authorities, school authorities likely to be
affected by the evictions on the importance of forest conservation. This will end further
encroachment of the forest, the displacement of the Sengwer community, and the
disruption of schooling and other educational activities. It will also end violations of
children's rights to education in the Embobut ward. Finally, that, policy guidelines to be
put in place to mitigate the human suffering and guarantee the Sengwer child’s rights to
education.
Publisher
University of Nairobi
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United StatesUsage Rights
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/Collections
The following license files are associated with this item: