Friends Of Karura Raise Alarm Over NYS Housing Project Inside Forest
He warned that barracks for a large number of people would cause huge disruption and threaten conservation gains achieved over the years.
By Fatuma Rashid
Friends of Karura Forest are demanding an immediate halt to tree felling near the Rangers Village, citing lack of consultation over proposed National Youth Service housing project.
In a statement released this evening, the association called for a public explanation on proposals for National Youth Service accommodation inside the forest.
The group said numerous indigenous trees have been cut down since the weekend by people using chainsaws within and around the Rangers Village where forest rangers reside.
It added that stumps were uprooted using heavy machinery, while those involved were allegedly allowed entry by the Kenya Forest Service Station Manager.
Another team simultaneously conducted a site assessment in the same area, which the association believes has been earmarked for barracks style accommodation.
Although FKF jointly manages Karura with KFS, it said it received no warning about the tree clearance or proposed development.
“As co-managers of Karura, we demand an immediate end to this work,” said Prof Njoroge Karanja of the FKF Board.
The association said the lack of notice came despite a recent Joint Management Committee meeting between representatives of FKF and KFS.
It wrote to KFS on Tuesday seeking clarification over the developments, but by the time of issuing the statement no response had been received.
The dispute follows last year’s secret overnight tarmacking of a road leading to the Rangers Village without consultation, which FKF has challenged in court.
KFS has claimed on social media that the cleared site lies within its headquarters compound bordering Kiambu Road.
However, the association maintains the site is approximately one kilometre from the headquarters, located right inside the forest reserve.
It said the land appears intended for National Youth Service teams overseeing an expanded tree nursery within the forest.
“The headquarters area along Kiambu Road spans 55 hectares and has plenty of space with existing infrastructure,” Prof Karanja said.
The association argued that such accommodation could be situated at the headquarters without causing further disruption inside the forest ecosystem.
The current Karura Forest Management Plan and the previous two plans propose relocating the Rangers Village to the KFS headquarters.
Under those plans, the land currently occupied by the village should be restored and returned to indigenous forest cover.
Friends of Karura describes itself as the country’s leading Community Forest Association operating under the Forest Conservation and Management Act of 2016.
The Act established CFAs as legal entities allowed to enter joint management agreements with the state and share management roles.
“It is 15 years today since Karura was officially opened and it has been an extraordinary achievement to jointly protect and conserve the forest,” Prof Karanja said.
He warned that barracks for a large number of people would cause huge disruption and threaten conservation gains achieved over the years.
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