NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 27 – The Green Belt Movement (GBM) has called for an immediate stop to alleged tree clearance and construction activities in Karura Forest, warning that plans to build accommodation facilities for the National Youth Service (NYS) threaten the ecological integrity of the urban woodland.
The environmental NGO, in a statement, questioned why public participation was not conducted and why the Friends of Karura Forest (FKF), a legally recognised co-manager of the forest, were not consulted.
GBM said the scale of the works appears inconsistent with temporary structures described by the Kenya Forest Service (KFS).
“Why was there no public participation prior to the commencement of this project? Public participation is not optional, “ read the statement in part.
“It is a constitutional requirement and a cornerstone of accountable environmental governance. Any development within a public forest must be subjected to open consultation and transparent processes before implementation.”
The organisation also challenged the rationale for establishing a large-scale tree nursery within the forest, intended to produce two million seedlings.
According to the NGO, such facilities, instead of being located in an ecologically sensitive urban forest, could undermine both the environmental and social value of Karura.
The statement from GBM comes on the back of recent concerns raised by Friends of Karura Forest that have demanded an immediate halt to tree clearance around the Rangers Village and a public explanation over plans to establish NYS accommodation.
FKF said indigenous trees had been felled over the weekend, with heavy machinery used to remove stumps, in areas near the Rangers’ Village where forest rangers live.
FKF further said it was not notified of the works, despite co-managing the forest with KFS, and that a letter seeking clarification on the activities went unanswered.
The developments follow previous incidents, including the secret overnight tarmacking of a road leading to the Rangers Village, which FKF has since legally challenged.
The group argued that the KFS headquarters along Kiambu Road spans 55 hectares, offering ample space for barracks and operational facilities without intruding on forest land, which, under current management plans, is earmarked for restoration to indigenous forest.
KFS has defended its activities, maintaining that no protected forest land has been excised and that the works support the government’s target to grow 15 billion trees by 2032.
