Makambo is a pastoralist land rights activist from Turkana County in North West Kenya. Makambo uses the Sarima Indigenous Peoples Land Forum (SIPLF), an organization he co-founded, to advocate for his community’s land rights in the face of large-scale infrastructures. The land is central to the pastoralists’ livelihood, and any annexation without due process disenfranchises them.

Makambo was at the center of mobilizing northern Kenya communities around the impact of the Gilgel Gibe III hydroelectric dam built on River Omo – a river that drains into Lake Turkana- by the Ethiopian government due to the fears of the dam’s impact on the populations whose livelihoods relied on Lake Turkana. Approximately, 300,000 people relied on Lake Turkana for their existence.

Additionally, Makambo was at the center of mobilizing communities from northern Kenya to protest and litigate against the grabbing of 150,000 acres of community land to establish the Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP) Project. 

As an activist working on land rights, he is concerned with the private developer tactics of fighting back the community’s resistance. This is because the company constructed barriers along a local public road that connects South Horr to Loiyangalani. These illegal barriers by the private company on a public road facilitated monitoring the movement members, especially the most vocal posing the danger of elimination. During the construction of the LTWP any dissent was not tolerated by the company for fears that it will derail their project activities. Activists faced multiple threats from state agencies, the military, and the police. Any person seen advocating for the community in the Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP) was de facto deemed anti-government. The community is accustomed to the police’s intimidation and threats. 

Despite the risks, Makambo has been consistently fighting the annexation of 150,000 acres, 607 km2- the size of Nairobi County to the Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP), a private company, without the community’s consent.  They took the matter to court. The High court in Meru court ruled in favor of the community. 

“…a lawsuit was filed in October 2014 at the Meru High Court, with the objective of nullifying the titles and returning the land to its original status as community land. Despite the injunction issued by the Court, President Kenyatta came in person to bulldoze our land in order to launch project construction. Among the strategies that we employed include; petitions in 2012, to funders (Follow the money) i.e; Google and Overseas Private Investors Corporation (OPIC) to withdraw support.”

Makambo is among few human rights activist fighting against the annexation of indigenous land in a marginalized pastoralist land community. The land is crucial to sustaining pastoralist livelihood, and annexing it without their consent will negatively impact their lives and livelihood.