Kenya: Group Raises Alarm Over Indigenous Tree Felling in Karura

Nairobi — The Friends of Karura Forest (FKF) has demanded an immediate halt to the clearance of trees around the Rangers Village inside Karura Forest and called for a public explanation over proposals to establish National Youth Service (NYS) accommodation within the forest.

In a statement, FKF said numerous indigenous trees have been cut down since the weekend by a group using chainsaws, with heavy machinery deployed to uproot the stumps near the Rangers Village where forest rangers live.

The group was reportedly allowed to access the forest by the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) Station Manager, while another team conducted a site assessment in the same area.

FKF said it was not given prior notice of the tree clearance or any development plans, despite jointly managing the forest with KFS and holding a recent Joint Management Committee meeting bringing together representatives from both organizations.

A letter sent by FKF to KFS on Tuesday seeking clarification had not been responded to at the time of issuing the statement.

The developments come months after what FKF described as the secret overnight tarmacking of a road inside the forest leading to the Rangers Village, also undertaken without consultation.

FKF has since filed a court case opposing that move. While KFS has stated on social media that the cleared area falls within its headquarters, FKF maintains that the site is approximately one kilometre from the headquarters and situated inside the forest.

According to FKF, the cleared land appears intended to host barracks-style accommodation for NYS teams expected to oversee an expanded tree nursery.

The association noted that the KFS headquarters area along Kiambu Road spans 55 hectares and has sufficient space, roads and infrastructure to accommodate such facilities.

The current and previous Karura Forest Management Plans provide for the relocation of the Rangers Village to the KFS headquarters, with the land earmarked for restoration to indigenous forest.

"As co-managers of Karura, we demand an immediate end to this work. Any proposals for development or building work inside the forest on this land must be brought out in the open for discussion," said Prof Njoroge Karanja of the FKF Board.

Read the original article on Capital FM.