By Urban Shihemi, December 2,2025

The government has officially validated a long-awaited policy aimed at protecting and uplifting ethnic minorities and marginalised communities across Kenya.

The new policy provides a comprehensive framework for promoting inclusion, equity, and protection of the rights of communities that have historically faced social, economic, and political exclusion.

Under the provisions of the Ethnic Minorities and Marginalised Communities Bill, 2025 and its accompanying policy document, the State commits to guarantee recognition, representation, and equitable access to essential services including land rights, healthcare, education, cultural preservation, and infrastructure for communities defined under the law.

Officials say the policy aims to transform constitutional guarantees into concrete, actionable interventions.

Speaking in Nairobi during the validation program that brought together government officials, human rights groups,and community representatives,the Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Gender, Culture, and Children Services Hanna Wendot Cheptumo lauded the validation as a landmark achievement.

She noted that since the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution the country has gradually made significant strides toward recognising diversity but until now lacked a unified policy to protect vulnerable communities.

The new policy, she said, “cements the State’s commitment to equity, dignity, and inclusive development for all Kenyans.”

Principal Secretary for the State Department for Wildlife Silvia Museiya appealed to ethnic minorities and marginalised communities to take bold and proactive steps to ensure their representation on decision-making platforms.

She called on youth from these communities to register as voters and actively participate in governance, so they can shape policies affecting their lives.

Also addressing the gathering, the Principal Secretary for Tourism John Ololtuaa underlined the importance of cultural and natural heritage conservation.

He said the policy will enable better inclusion of minority and indigenous communities in sustainable tourism development ensuring their traditions, languages, and ancestral lands are respected, preserved, and benefit from eco-tourism opportunities under equitable terms.

The policy explicitly targets ethnic minorities and marginalised communities that have for decades been underrepresented or excluded from development. These include, but are not limited to Indigenous hunter-gatherer groups such as Ogiek, Sengwer, Yaaku, Aweer (Boni) / Boni, and Waata.

Pastoralist communities such as Turkana, Maasai, Borana, Rendille, Samburu, Pokot, Ilchamus, among others residing in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs).

Coastal and minority communities such as Bajuni, Basuba, Barawe / Barawa, and other smaller ethnic groups including various linguistic and cultural minorities.

Once launched, the documents will provide county governments with a clear pathway for engaging marginalized groups.