Government gazetted the land of the indigenous Benet people into Mt. Elgon Crown Forest back in the year 1993 without consultation or the consent of the community. The Benet were allowed to stay in the forest but under strict rules like restriction on cultivation, keeping goats etc. A series of events gradually reduced the rights of the Benet who were not only oppressed by government but also suffered even more from oppression meted on them by other communities in the region. Uganda is party to several international protocols including the Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGTs) which oblige states, among others, to recognize the social, cultural, spiritual, economic, environmental and political value of land to indigenous peoples and other communities with customary tenure systems