This month's edition of the lecture series at the Kenya National Museum in Nairobi was delivered by the chairman of the Friends of Karura Forest (FKF) Alice Macaire on Wednesday evening. The wife of the British High Commissioner, instead of giving the usual long boring lectures, opted to tell the story of the rehabilitation of Karura by asking the audience to watch the film Rejuvenating The Karura Forest: Danger Spots to Green Haven. The movie produced by Duncan Ndotono and directed by Brenda Okoth, photojournalist and reporter for the Star newspaper respectively, recognizes efforts being made to nurture Karura Forest back to life through the Karura Forest Conservation Project which started in 2007.
Once set out for development and rescued through the efforts of Prof Wangari Maathai, efforts have been made to transform the forest from its previous title of no go zone to a "green lung" zone. Working in conjunction with the Kenya Forestry Service, the local communities in Karura and Huruma and the families who live near the forest, FOK have managed to create a safe, secure and educational environment for all to enjoy and has provided sustainable livelihood for the local communities through projects such as beekeeping, tree nurseries, deadwood collection and employment as scouts and tour guides.