Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa was yesterday taken to task to explain how Konyon Company Ltd was awarded a contract to build a luxury hotel inside Ngong forest.

Lawmakers on the Environment, Wildlife and Forestry Committee also questioned the government’s commitment to increasing forest cover by planting 15 billion trees, given this controversial development.

MPs demanded to know whether Konyon was awarded the tender due to influence from powerful and well-connected individuals in government.

The contract’s history reveals a significant shift in approach. Initially, Green Kids Museum of Kenya, under the Green Belt Movement, had applied to establish a children’s museum featuring pavilions, walkways, and picnic areas. However, the contract was instead awarded to Konyon to set up a “Unique Glamping Eco-Lodge and Wellness Retreat”.

Proposed structures

The proposed structures include luxury tented units made of canvas and stone, a reception tent, multiple recreational and dining areas, a hexadome restaurant, dining tents, a yoga deck, and a meeting room. The wellness facility will contain a spa with sauna and steam rooms, a concrete kitchen (150m²) with adjoining storage, linen/laundry facilities, staff housing, and a security post.

In a meeting with Barasa, MPs, led by committee chairperson and Mwala MP Vincent Musau, argued that the initial Green Belt Movement plan was more environmentally friendly, consisting mainly of walkways and amenities that would not harm the environment. They contrasted this with the current facility, which they described as a large development that would likely require future expansion.

MPs announced they were investigating the matter and will tour the site to determine whether proper procedures were followed before the tender was awarded.

“We want to make an official visit there so that we can know how much public land you have given and the extent to which the facility has interfered with the forest cover,” said Musau.

During the session, MPs sought clarity on several critical issues:

Public participation and environmental assessment: Lawmakers questioned whether public participation was conducted before issuing the contract and whether an environmental impact assessment was completed. They criticised Barasa for failing to provide the committee with detailed information about the hotel, despite the facility being proposed last year.

Bura MP Yakub Adow pressed for details about public participation, insisting on the need for a committee site visit. “The issue came about because of lack of public participation. We can see from your document that the request to set up the facility was done in November 2024, but the license was issued in January this year. We would like to know why it took so long before you carried out public participation,” he said.

Political influence: Kacheliba MP Titus Lotee questioned whether the decision to award the contract to Konyon resulted from influence by powerful government figures. He accused the government of undermining its own reforestation goals.

“If you are going to give out this place to set up the facility because the land is full of shrubs, are you really serious? For us, we would have thought that the first indicator is to plant more trees in the forest, but clearly we can see you are the one giving out the same forest to put up lodges. CS, please tell us this land was given out for this facility because it is for a well-connected person,” Lotee said.

Procedural compliance: Kericho Woman Representative Beatrice Kemei questioned whether proper procedures were followed before allocating the land.

Turkana Central MP Joseph Namwara raised multiple concerns about the Environmental Impact Assessment, following complaints from Greenpeace, and questioned whether the company paid for the special permit as ordered by the Chief Conservator, as well as the lease duration.

“Madam PS, you have come to this committee in a very bad way because your relationship with this committee has been very negative, and that is why we have summoned you,” Namwara said.

Government contradiction: Baringo South MP Charles Kamuren said they need to establish how developers have been allowed to construct facilities in forests. Njoro MP Charity Kathambi criticized the apparent contradiction in government policy.