Bees, forest and title deeds: the fight for Mukogodo

Yaaku beekeeping is old, precise and conservation-shaped. Hives are placed in specific tree species, at specific heights, harvested at specific seasons. A beekeeping household has a direct material stake in a standing, flowering, unburned forest — which is why Mukogodo remained one of Laikipia's better-preserved dryland forests.

That logic is being broken from two directions. Land pressure — subdivision, fencing, encroachment and allocation of land the community regards as theirs — cuts households off from hive sites and water. At the same time, being counted administratively as Maasai rather than Yaaku means the community's forest claims are made on someone else's behalf.

Community members told the team about hives lost to clearing, access routes closed, and consultations they learned about after decisions were taken. Younger men described leaving beekeeping for casual labour because the returns no longer justify the walk.

Utu Heritage's response links heritage documentation to organising: record the customary tenure and hive geography with the elders, strengthen Community Forest Association participation so the Yaaku sit at the table by right, and rebuild the honey value chain so that protecting Mukogodo remains the most profitable option available to a household.

Forest protection that ignores the economics of the people inside the forest is a press release. Protection that pays is policy.