The African Union’s ruling that Kenya’s minority group, the Endorois, return to their land; be compensated for their forceful eviction; receive royalties from the earnings of the  reserve and  be given first priority in employment opportunities in the reserve is a great milestone on justice. The sub-group of the Kalenjin people (now numbering about 60 000) have fought a 12 –year protracted court battle against the Kenya government for being forceful eviction from their ancestral land in 1973 that paved way for a national reserve and tourist facility.

The ruling is a slap on African governments that alienate their citizenry from development programs. Such a move has given rise to natural resource conflicts such as the human-wildlife conflict in Kenya. The same story is replicated in Nigeria’s Niger Delta; DR Congo and Sudan. The AU verdict thus calls upon African governments to think long-term and put their people first to realize any meaningful development. Development that is external oriented will only serve to produce nice graphs with no meaningful impact at the grassroots hence inflaming passions.