The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has denied reports of deforestation taking place inside the Karura Forest which has generated an online debate, with a section of Kenyans hinting that a private developer had purchased a part of the forest.

In a statement on the evening of November 22, 2024, KFS noted that the logging witnessed in Karura Forest was a closely supervised initiative to harvest mature exotic trees and pave the way for reforestation with indigenous species.

“The Service takes note of messages in various formats circulating in social media that relate to the removal of mainly Eucalyptus exotic tree species from the Karura Forest. The information in the form of video recordings and a variety of text formats is misleading and inaccurate,” KFS said.

Adding: “Kenya Forest Service (KFS) assures the public and visitors of Karura Forest that what is going on is a normal plantation management activity which involves harvesting of mature exotic plantation species as per the Karura Forest Participatory Forest Management Plan (PFMP), a legal bidding document that is developed in collaboration between the KFS and Community Forest Association (CFA) in this case being Friends of Karura Forest (FKF).

Indigenous forest cover

KFS noted that Karura Forest being an urban recreational forest is to be reverted back to a purely indigenous forest through phased removal of exotic plantation tree species of Eucalyptus and Cypress.

They assured the public that the process of removal is being undertaken in strict adherence to the laws and procedures of disposing forest plantation materials. These laws include the Forest Conservation and Management Act 2016, the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act 2015, the Public Procurement and Assets Disposal Regulations, 2020, Public Financial Management Regulations, 2015, Forest Harvesting Rules 2009, Legal Notice No. 21 on Forests (fees and charges) Rules of 2016.

Further, KFS stated that the elaborate removal of the exotic trees included taking inventory of the selected forest plantations as per the Karura Forest PFMP, floating, bidding, evaluation, and awarding harvesting tenders and clear-felling and removal of plantation material from the forest.

They assured the public that the affected forest cover would be restored through a structured reforestation exercise and monitoring.

“The process of replanting and restoring the harvested sites will include sites clean up and removal of invasive species, site preparation for replanting, actual planting of indigenous trees, shrubs and climbers suitable for the ecological zone, aftercare and maintenance and monitoring to ensure survival rate of above 90 per cent,” KFS said.