Nairobi, Kenya- Kenya’s simmering row over Karura Forest has taken a new twist. Chief Conservator of Forests Alex Lemarkoko has accused the Friends of Karura Forest (FKF) of financial impropriety, alleging that the community trust has misled the public with claims of forest grabbing while ignoring accountability concerns.
Speaking on Citizen TV’s The Explainer Show Tuesday night, Lemarkoko said an audit by the Ministry of Environment unearthed glaring irregularities in FKF’s financial management — including embezzlement, failure to submit work plans, and diversion of funds.
Audit Points to “Serious Deviations”
According to Lemarkoko, the joint management agreement governing Karura is clear: all gate revenues must be deposited into a bank account jointly run by Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and FKF. However, he claims FKF flouted this rule and ignored other compliance obligations.
“An audit was carried out by our ministry, and you will be shocked at the kind of embezzlement of funds by FKF,” Lemarkoko alleged, adding that the group also failed to provide certified accounts to the KFS board.
He further pointed to deliberate non-disclosure of bank balances and manipulation of surplus revenue, branding the lapses as a breach of trust in the joint agreement.
“No Forest Grabbing in Kenya Today”
Lemarkoko dismissed FKF’s recent alarm over alleged land grabbing at Karura as a smokescreen meant to deflect from its financial woes.
“FKF is not informing Kenyans about these matters. Instead, they are only telling us that Karura is being grabbed or a road is going through Karura. That is not true. You cannot grab a forest now,” he said.
He cited the Forest Conservation and Management Act, which makes altering forest boundaries nearly impossible without extensive legal processes. “Grabbing of forests is a matter of the past,” Lemarkoko added.
eCitizen Shift and Road Construction Debate
The Conservator also defended the government’s decision to move Karura’s revenue collection to the eCitizen platform, describing it as a transparency measure, not a restructuring of the joint management model.
“All staff will continue to work, and KFS will facilitate that through the joint account. The main agenda is to shift from manual collection to eCitizen for accountability,” he said.
On the controversial construction of 3.2 kilometres of tarmac roads inside Karura, Lemarkoko clarified that the works only serve internal access routes connecting the forest’s headquarters, staff quarters, and facilities — not the woodland itself.
Court Battle Looms
The war of words comes just weeks before a scheduled court hearing on September 22, 2025, where FKF is challenging the government’s directive to shift revenue collection to eCitizen. The trust argues that the move undermines its joint management role with KFS.
For now, the tug-of-war over one of Nairobi’s most treasured green spaces has exposed a deeper fault line: a clash between conservation ideals, financial accountability, and government control.
