Bongomek community leader John Pemoi Mining has asked Uhuru Kenyatta to ensure the community is also compensated from the Sh10b kitty to victims of historical injustices that occurred in Kenya during the colonial period, 1992 clashes and the 2007/08 post-election violence that rocked the country pitting erstwhile president Mwai Kibaki and Cord leader Raila Odinga.
Pemoi was addressing the press after laying a foundation stone at the proposed Bongomek cultural centre within the outskirts of Bungoma town, where he said that the community was displaced during the 1992 clashes.
“We were displaced from our ancestral land here in Bungoma during the 1992 clashes and we are scattered all over in Kakamega, Mt Elgon, Trans Nzoia and even as we are speaking now many of us are landless and we are just but squatters and Uhuru should ensure we get our share also,” posed Pemoi
He said they have few professionals from their community given the fact that when they were displaced there economy stagnated and thereby did not take their children to school in a bid to enable them secure white colar jobs, saying that a time had now come for them to be recognised by both the county government of Bungoma and the government as being part and parcel of Kenya.
Pemoi told the press that they have prepared a petition and will be moving to court next week in a bid to seek redress and ask the court to compel the government of Kenya to compensate them, adding that they have also prepared claim forms of those who should be compensated and will forward their names to the respective authorities.
“The High Court in Bungoma declared Bongomek a minority group and we have a right to be heard as we are also Kenyans by being given what is rightfully ours,” said Pemoi
Bongomek is a subtribe of the larger Sabaot community whereby during the 2010 census they were only 3,000 people in the entire country.
Mid last year, they petitioned the county government of Bungoma to consider them in terms of job opportunities and the court granted them there cry, such that they were given one slot of ward administrator of township ward within Kanduyi constituency.
Pemoi was addressing the press after laying a foundation stone at the proposed Bongomek cultural centre within the outskirts of Bungoma town, where he said that the community was displaced during the 1992 clashes.
“We were displaced from our ancestral land here in Bungoma during the 1992 clashes and we are scattered all over in Kakamega, Mt Elgon, Trans Nzoia and even as we are speaking now many of us are landless and we are just but squatters and Uhuru should ensure we get our share also,” posed Pemoi
He said they have few professionals from their community given the fact that when they were displaced there economy stagnated and thereby did not take their children to school in a bid to enable them secure white colar jobs, saying that a time had now come for them to be recognised by both the county government of Bungoma and the government as being part and parcel of Kenya.
Pemoi told the press that they have prepared a petition and will be moving to court next week in a bid to seek redress and ask the court to compel the government of Kenya to compensate them, adding that they have also prepared claim forms of those who should be compensated and will forward their names to the respective authorities.
“The High Court in Bungoma declared Bongomek a minority group and we have a right to be heard as we are also Kenyans by being given what is rightfully ours,” said Pemoi
Bongomek is a subtribe of the larger Sabaot community whereby during the 2010 census they were only 3,000 people in the entire country.
Mid last year, they petitioned the county government of Bungoma to consider them in terms of job opportunities and the court granted them there cry, such that they were given one slot of ward administrator of township ward within Kanduyi constituency.
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