Joannah Stutchbury

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Joannah Stutchbury
Joannah Stutchbury (c.1954 - 2021).jpeg
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Bornc.1954
Died15 July 2021
Nairobi
Cause of deathshot
NationalityKenyan
CitizenshipKenyan
Occupation(s)land and environmental rights defender activist
Known forprotecting Kiambu Forest in Kenya

Joannah Stutchbury (c.1954 - 2021) was a Kenyan land and environmental rights defender activist. She was the one of the leading conservationists of the environment of Kenyan forests, who is remembered for trying to protect Kiambu forest from encroachment. She helped the Kenya Forest Service. She was shot and killed on 15 July 2021 [1] [2] [3] [4] at the age of 67. [5] Joannah was the great-niece of Jim Corbett. [6]

Life

Stutchbury was born in about 1954 and she lived in Kiambu which is nearly twenty kilometres from the centre of Nairobi. [7]

She was campaigning against the developers encroaching on the Kiambu Forest near Nairobi. 16% of Kiambu County, 40,000 hectares are covered by forest. The trees are used for wood fuel as there is a high demand for both charcoal and firewood. Tree planting projects are in progress as the trees face increasing temperatures due to climate change. [8]

Stutchbury had spoken out against land-grabbers and noted private developers. In 2018, she hit the headlines when she single-handedly confronted those developers. The developers were felling trees in the Kiambu Forests. She was told by unknown people that they would kill her if she continued intervening in their plan to constructing a roadway through the forest. [9]

On 15 July 2021, Joannah Stutchbury was shot dead near her home, allegedly because of her campaign against the development of wetlands in a national park. She stopped her car to clear branches blocking her driveway when she was shot several times. Later, her neighbours found her body in her car. Her car engine was still running. Her valuables were still in the vehicle. From that, it was summised that the attack was not a robbery. Stutchbury had raised her voice against the encroachment and building up of structures in the nearby Kiambu Forest. Before the incident, she had received multiple death threats, but nevertheless continued to stand for the environment until her death. [10] [11] [12] She owned land which she protected as she refused to sell it. She had discussed moving away because of the pressures. [13]

This was the first death of an environmentalist in Kenya for a year although eight had died in Africa. [14] No quick arrests were made. [15] The World Forest Organisation petitioned the president of Kenya, to protect an area of the forest at national level, in honour of Joannah. [16]

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References

  1. ↑ "Joanna Stutchbury". Front Line Defenders. 2021-07-19. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  2. ↑ "Who Was Joanna Stutchbury, Activist Shot Who Was Dead Following Threats" . Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  3. ↑ "Kenya: Concerns regarding the killing of Environmental Defender Joannah Stutchbury". UN SR Human Rights Defenders. 2022-01-19. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  4. ↑ "Kenya: Prominent environmental activist Joanna Stutchbury killed after receiving multiple death threats from developers". Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  5. ↑ "Environment activist shot dead outside Nairobi home after death threats". the Guardian. 2021-07-16. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  6. ↑ "Jim Corbett's Great Niece And Environmentalist Joanna Stutchbury Shot Dead In Nairobi" . Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  7. ↑ Team, The (2021-07-16). "Another Murdered Environmentalist: Joannah Stutchbury – you'll be greatly missed". Word Forest. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
  8. ↑ "Kiambu County attains 16pc forest cover – Kenya News Agency". 2022-05-22. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  9. ↑ Pinnock, Don (2021-07-20). "OUR BURNING PLANET: Kenyan forest defender Joanna Stutchbury assassinated in gangster-style slaying". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  10. ↑ "Joanna Stutchbury". Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  11. ↑ "Kenya: Inquiétude de la société civile après le meurtre d'une célèbre écologiste qui luttait contre la déforestation causée par des promoteurs privés". Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  12. ↑ "Kenya: After almost two months, no arrests made for murder of conservationist threatened by road developers". Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  13. ↑ Panchal, Subodh (2021-08-08). "Joannah Stutchbury: She Lived for Her Forest". The America Times. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  14. ↑ Chege, Daniel. "227 environmentalists killed last year, new report shows as land activists push for State protection". The Standard. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
  15. ↑ "Kenya: Prominent environmental activist killed after multiple death threats". Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
  16. ↑ "Joannah Stutchbury Murdered for Protecting Kenya's Kiambu Forest | Permaculture magazine". 2022-03-08. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
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