NAIROBI, Kenya — Members of Parliament have raised alarm over the conduct of officers from the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) following allegations that some rangers misused firearms and intimidated civilians, including pointing guns at a legislator during an incident in Baringo South.
The concerns were raised on Monday, March 16, by Vincent Musyoka, the Mwala MP and Chairperson of the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Environment, Forestry and Mining.
Musyoka told forestry officials that complaints about the conduct of KFS rangers had surfaced in several parts of the country, warning that the situation risked undermining public trust in forest protection agencies.
“We are concerned with the general behavior of KFS rangers; some are misusing their firearms. Recently, it happened to a Member of this Committee where your officers in Baringo South pointed guns at him. It has happened to other Kenyans. This must be stopped by streamlining the law that guides them,” Musyoka said.
The lawmaker also alleged that some officers tasked with protecting forests were instead involved in illegal logging activities.
“Some officers are involved in illegal logging. They cut down trees and sell them illegally when they should be protecting them,” he said. “I want to ask that you take the issues of training seriously to help them engage lawfully with the public.”
The remarks come as scrutiny grows over enforcement methods used by forest rangers and the broader management of Kenya’s protected forests under the Forest Conservation and Management Act.
Under the law, KFS officers are mandated to protect gazetted forests, prevent illegal logging, and enforce conservation regulations.
However, the legislation also requires enforcement actions to follow due process and respect constitutional safeguards, including the right to dignity and protection from excessive force under the Constitution of Kenya.
The allegations raised in Parliament follow earlier claims circulating on social media that KFS officers assaulted a man in Elgeyo Marakwet County late last year.
In a statement issued on December 29, 2025, KFS denied wrongdoing and described the claims as misleading.
According to the agency, the incident involved Bernard Kiplagat Tarus, also known as Kishoto, who was allegedly found illegally felling indigenous trees inside a gazetted state forest at Chepyemit Beat within Cheptongei Forest Station.
KFS said the encounter occurred during a routine patrol on December 22, 2025, and was formally reported at Chepyemit Police Station under OB No. 12/22/12/25.
“During a routine forest protection patrol, KFS officers encountered an adult male actively engaged in the illegal felling of indigenous trees inside a gazetted State forest with the intent of producing charcoal,” the agency said.
The service added that the suspect allegedly resisted arrest and attempted to attack a forest ranger while armed with a panga.
“When officers attempted to effect a lawful arrest, the suspect violently resisted, armed himself with a panga, and attempted to attack a Forest Ranger. The ranger responded using reasonable force in lawful self-defense to neutralize the imminent threat,” KFS said.
KFS maintained that its officers did not assault or abandon the suspect and instead facilitated his evacuation to Iten Teaching and Referral Hospital for treatment.
The agency further said officers recovered tools believed to have been used in the illegal activity, including a panga, an axe, and a saw, which were preserved as evidence.
