A/HRC/4/32/Add.3 page 5 I. INTRODUCTION 1. Pursuant to Commission on Human Rights resolution 2001/57 of 24 April 2001, which established his mandate, and at the invitation of the Government, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people visited Kenya from 4 to 14 December 2006. 2. The purpose of this visit was to better understand the situation of indigenous peoples in Kenya, to learn about policies and practices designed to promote and protect their rights, and to dialogue with government officials at the national and local levels, representatives of indigenous peoples’ communities and organizations, development partners and other actors on ways to strengthen the responses to the demands and needs of indigenous peoples. 3. The Special Rapporteur travelled to Nairobi, Kitengela, Narok, Nakuru, Baringo, Mount Elgon, Laikipia, Wajir, Garissa, Marsabit and several rural areas around the country. In Nairobi, he met with the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, the Director of the Kenya Wildlife Service, as well as with high officials in the Ministry of Health and the President’s Office of Special Programmes. He also met with the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) and with Members of Parliament of the Pastoralist Parliamentary Group. In the various provinces he met with the Deputy Provincial Commissioner of the Rift Valley Province, the District Commissioners of Laikipia, Marsabit, Narok, and the Mayor of Garissa. 4. The Special Rapporteur met with the United Nations Resident Coordinator and country team representatives, and held conversations with international agencies including the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as with donor organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). 5. The Special Rapporteur conducted on-site visits to numerous indigenous pastoralist and hunter-gatherer communities in Narok, Laikipia, Mau Forest, Mount Elgon, Lake Baringo, Cherangany Hills and Wajir. He also held meetings with indigenous representatives of the Awer, Boni, Borana, Burgi, Elmolo, Endorois, Ilchamus, Gaaljecel, Gabra, Maasai, Malakote, Munyayaya, Ogiek, Orma, Pokot, Rendille, Sabaot, Sakuye, Samburu, Sengwer, Somali, Talai, Turkana, Watta, Munyayaya and Yakuu. He met with members of other minority communities, such as the Nubians, and with groups of refugees. He also visited the Maasai Mara National Park and the Lake Baringo Game Reserve, where he assessed the impact of protected areas on local indigenous peoples. 6. During his visit, the Special Rapporteur participated in the National Seminar on Indigenous Issues, organized by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and UNDP in Nairobi, on 5 and 6 December 2006.