Friends of Karura, KFS poised for wild battle over forest’s millions
By Bernard Gitau, June 11, 2025A fierce battle over the control of millions generated from Karura Forest is looming after the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Dr Deborah Barasa, ordered the Friends of Karura to cease collecting entrance charges, among other payments.
The order was issued on April 22, 2025, at Kenya Forest headquarters during the minister’s maiden visit, where she insisted Kenya Forest Service (KFS) should be financially sufficient.
“It is time to create a self-sufficient KFS that can fulfil its obligation even amid fiscal challenges,” Barasa said.
During the visit, Barasa held an indoor meeting with Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) Alex Lemarkoko, the Vice Chairperson of the Board Kunal Chowdhari, Principal Secretary for Forestry Gitonga Mugambi and other senior ministry officials.
“I challenge the service to innovate and develop a robust internal revenue generation strategy, which includes exploring forest-based enterprises, ecotourism, carbon credit and partnerships,” she said.
The CS also directed KFS management to embrace payment through the eCitizen platform. During the meeting, questions were asked whether a public forest is under a private organisation controlling millions of shillings while KFS is financially crippled.
The question of accountability of the millions was also discussed, and why, for example, the management of Friends of Karura never conducted elections.
Repairing Karura
However, speaking to Big3Africa, the chairman of the Friends of Karura Forest Community Association, Professor Karanja Njoroge, accused the government of trying to reap where they did not sow.
“This forest was a den of thugs where murders, mugging and other crimes were committed, it was a no-go zone, but since 2010, the face of Karura has changed and is the face of Nairobi,” Prof Karanja said.
Prof Karanja added that the journey to reclaim Karura forest is full of sweat and sacrifices, and they cannot allow KFS to water down their work, insisting the route taken aims at bringing the forest to its knees.
At the centre of the row is Ksh20 million collected by the Friends of Karura monthly, translating to approximately Ksh245 million annually.
“They are only salivating for the money without recognising the work done,” he said.
On the issue of accountability, Karanja revealed that the Treasury gave them the go-ahead to create a joint account, managed by them and the KFS.
“The agreement in the management plan of the forest is that the money collected should protect the forest, provide access to people living around the forest and to the public at large, restore the forest to its natural state provide ecosystem services for all and provide employment people from less privileged communities neighbouring the forest,” he explained.
Karanja pointed out that the board members of the Friends of Karura are full-time volunteers and never receive payments.
Apart from the board members, there are also 135 staff workers who earn a salary.
In addition, he added, they have 300 casuals who are always working in maintenance and management, mostly from Huruma and other surrounding informal settlements.
“To cater for their wages, we set aside Ksh1.5 million to Ksh2 million monthly. This is in the spirit of empowering people from less privileged communities neighbouring the forest,” he said.
As a result of these efforts by the Friends of Karura, in a good month, at least 50,000 to 55,000 people visit the park, each paying Ksh100.
The forest also has over 50 kilometres of trails for visitors to walk, run or bike.
Other activities include horseback hospitality and various sports, among other fun games.
Karanja warned that if the ministry continues with its ill-motivated scheme, they would head to the court.
“We are going to fight to the end. The court will determine the fate of Karura Forest,” he said.
The Friends of Karura Forest (FKF) is a Community Forest Association (CFA) founded in October 2009.
A CFA is a mechanism established by the Forest Act of 2005 (Sections 46 and 47, Forest Rules 41 and 42) to support the KFS in its mission to protect, manage and enhance Kenya’s forest resources.
Under the terms of a Joint Forest Management Agreement, FKF is a full partner in the management and conservation of Karura Forest Reserve.
The far-reaching Agreement is a major milestone for stakeholder citizen involvement in joint stewardship with the government of an important natural resource.
“Basically, the agreement enshrines the principles of cooperation that have hallmarked the phenomenal re-emergence of Karura as a protected national heritage since 2009, when the FKF was chartered as a Community Forest Association,” Karanja said.
Karura Forest is 1,041 hectares (2,570 acres), consisting of three parts separated by Limuru and Kiambu roads. The large middle portion is 710 hectares (1,800 acres), and the Sigria salient to the west is 250 hectares (620 acres).
Due to the replacement of exotic species with Indigenous ones, the forest is now home to some 260 species of bird as well as suni, Harveys Duiker, bushbucks, bush pigs, genets, civets, honey badgers, bush babies, porcupines, Syke’s monkeys, bush squirrels, hares, fruit bats, and various reptiles and butterflies.