NAIROBI, Kenya – The Environment and Land Court in Milimani has dealt a major blow to a controversial road project, ruling that only 0.1233 hectares of Karura Forest can be used for the expansion of Kiambu Road — a fraction of the 51.64 acres earlier allocated by the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) to the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA).
In a landmark judgment delivered Thursday, the court also revoked two special user licences previously issued by KFS, faulting the process for lacking public participation.
The ruling follows a petition filed in December by the Greenbelt Movement, which argued that the government’s plan to extend the busy road through a large section of the protected forest had been approved without the legally required environmental safeguards.
According to court filings, the licences were granted to a private entity without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) from either KFS or the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).
The petitioner accused the authorities of ignoring biodiversity concerns, alternative route options, and the displacement of forest species.
“The petitioner contends that the participants were never informed of the amount of land that would be utilised off Karura Forest, the species that would be displaced, the biodiversity to be lost, any alternatives to the project and thus denied them the opportunity to fully appraise themselves and hence tender concrete feedback,” the court documents stated.
The Greenbelt Movement sought the cancellation of agreements between the Government of Kenya and Sinohydro Corporation Limited or any other contractor involved in the project, describing the process as “flawed, rushed, and in disregard of environmental law.”
The judgment is expected to set a legal precedent on the allocation of public forest land for infrastructure projects, reinforcing the need for public involvement and strict adherence to environmental regulations.
The decision could also delay the planned dualing of Kiambu Road, a project that has faced sustained criticism over its potential ecological impact on Karura Forest — one of Nairobi’s most treasured green spaces.
