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Post Reply: Friends of Karura Forest to Sue Kenya Forest Service Over Abrupt eCitizen Payment Takeover

<blockquote><div class="quotetitle">Quote from <a class="profile-link highlight-moderator" href="https://lawguide.co.ke/understanding-law/legal-forum/profile/lawyer/">Lawyer</a> on September 1, 2025, 8:59 am</div><div id="pl-7796"  class="panel-layout" ><div id="pg-7796-0"  class="panel-grid panel-no-style" ><div id="pgc-7796-0-0"  class="panel-grid-cell"  data-weight="1" ><div id="panel-7796-0-0-0" class="so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child panel-last-child" data-index="0" data-style="{&quot;background_image_attachment&quot;:false,&quot;background_display&quot;:&quot;tile&quot;,&quot;background_image_size&quot;:&quot;full&quot;,&quot;background_image_opacity&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;border_thickness&quot;:&quot;1px&quot;}" ><div
			
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	<p dir="ltr" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">The Friends of Karura Forest (FKF), a community trust dedicated to the conservation of Nairobi’s cherished Karura Forest, has announced plans to take legal action against the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) following what they describe as an unlawful and unilateral takeover of the forest’s revenue collection. The dispute centers on KFS’s sudden directive, effective August 29, 2025, mandating that all payments for gate entry, parking, and other services, including those at the Sigiria block, be made exclusively through the government’s eCitizen platform using Paybill number 222222. FKF claims this move violates a legally binding 20-year joint management agreement and threatens decades of community-led conservation efforts.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Karura Forest, spanning 1,041 hectares, is one of Nairobi’s largest urban green spaces, celebrated for its biodiversity and recreational offerings. For over 15 years, FKF, in partnership with KFS, has co-managed the forest under the Karura Forest Management Plan (2021–2041), a framework rooted in the Kenya Forest Conservation and Management Act of 2005. This act, championed by the late Nobel laureate Professor Wangari Maathai, emphasizes shared responsibility between community groups and government agencies in forest management. The agreement stipulates that revenues from entrance fees, events, and other activities be deposited into a joint account to fund operations, staff salaries, security, infrastructure, and forest regeneration.</p>
<p dir="ltr">FKF has been instrumental in transforming Karura from a crime-ridden area, once notorious for violent robberies, assaults, and even murders, into a safe and thriving sanctuary. The group invested over Sh37 million, without government support, to construct an electric fence, significantly enhancing the forest’s security. Their efforts, alongside those of the Green Belt Movement (GBM), have also preserved the forest’s ecological integrity, protecting 51.64 acres from excision for the Kiambu Road expansion in a recent legal victory on August 14, 2025.</p>
<p dir="ltr">On August 28, 2025, KFS issued a directive, without prior consultation with FKF, requiring all Karura Forest payments to be processed through the eCitizen platform. This shift, effective the following day, was justified by KFS as part of a National Treasury initiative to improve transparency, security, and efficiency in public revenue collection by phasing out non-designated payment systems. KFS Chief Conservator of Forests, Alex Lemarkoko, visited Karura Forest at dawn on August 29 to oversee the transition, assuring visitors that the new system would streamline payments with an average wait time of one minute and that all staff, including scouts, clerks, and cleaners, would be retained.</p>
<p dir="ltr">However, FKF and GBM have fiercely opposed the move, arguing it disrupts the joint management structure and risks destabilizing the forest’s operations. FKF estimates that managing Karura costs between Sh10 million and Sh12 million monthly, covering salaries for workers, many of whom are women from nearby low-income communities like Githogoro, Huruma, and Gachie, as well as maintenance and conservation efforts. The abrupt shift to eCitizen has left FKF without access to these funds, as the platform channels revenue directly to the government, with no clear mechanism to ensure funds are redirected to forest management.</p>
<p dir="ltr">FKF has described the takeover as a betrayal of public trust and a violation of the Karura Forest Management Plan, which mandates joint oversight of funds. Professor Karanja Njoroge, FKF Chairperson, stated, “This is not about efficiency, it is about control. Karura’s joint management plan is a legally binding agreement, not a suggestion. For KFS to unilaterally kick out the community is to trample on the law and on the very people who saved this forest when it was a den of crime and land grabs.” The group warned that without access to revenue, the forest could slide back into neglect, threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of workers and the safety of the estimated 7,000 monthly visitors.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The Green Belt Movement, co-founded by Wangari Maathai, echoed these concerns, emphasizing Karura’s history as a symbol of resilience. “Karura Forest is a product of blood, sweat, and sacrifice,” GBM stated, recalling Maathai’s near-fatal efforts to protect the forest from land grabbing in the 1990s. The organization condemned the takeover as an attempt to dismantle a globally recognized co-management model, warning that it could set a precedent for other public forests.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Former Chief Justice David Maraga also weighed in, condemning the lack of public participation as a violation of Article 10 of Kenya’s Constitution, which emphasizes transparency and accountability. Maraga questioned the integrity of the eCitizen platform, citing concerns raised by the Auditor General, and vowed to resist what he described as an attempt to undermine the country’s natural resources.</p>
<p dir="ltr">On August 29, 2025, FKF members staged protests at Karura’s Kiambu Road entrance, expressing their frustration by throwing water bottles and other items onto the road. Videos captured members chanting and banging on plastic bins, with KFS officers present at the scene. FKF apologized to visitors for any inconvenience, urging them to direct complaints to KFS. The group emphasized that the lack of consultation and the addition of VAT and eCitizen processing fees, which increase costs for visitors, further exacerbate the issue.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The public outcry has drawn support from conservationists, civil society, and the international community. FKF and GBM have called for solidarity to protect Karura, stressing that “Karura’s history is a reminder that our forests are never safe without vigilance.” They argue that the forest’s transformation into a haven for wildlife, including 260 bird species, bushbucks, Syke’s monkeys, and various reptiles, is a testament to community-driven conservation.</p>
<p dir="ltr">KFS has maintained that the eCitizen transition will not disrupt forest operations or its collaboration with FKF. On August 30, Lemarkoko reiterated that the only change is the payment platform, with all other management aspects unchanged. He assured visitors that annual passes remain valid and that the new system supports digital payments via phone or card. On August 31, KFS reported that operations continued normally, with rangers and FKF scouts jointly managing entry points, and emphasized its commitment to the co-management framework through the Forest Management Committee, which includes three members from each organization.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Despite these assurances, FKF remains unconvinced, arguing that KFS’s claim that the payment shift will not affect institutional arrangements misrepresents the joint management agreement. The agreement explicitly requires revenues to be deposited into a joint account, a process now disrupted by the eCitizen system. FKF has demanded the immediate reinstatement of the joint management arrangement and clarity on how financial obligations will be met.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The dispute comes amid broader concerns about forest management in Kenya. Environment Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has previously emphasized sustainable forest management, highlighting the government’s goal to plant 15 billion trees and restore 10.6 million hectares of degraded forests by 2032. In November 2024, Duale clarified that logging in Karura was part of a plan to replace exotic species like eucalyptus with indigenous trees, not deforestation. However, conservationists remain wary, citing past attempts to allocate Karura’s land to developers between 1994 and 1998, which were thwarted by Maathai and community activists.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The standoff also follows FKF and GBM’s recent legal victory against the excision of forest land for the Kiambu Road expansion, raising suspicions that the eCitizen directive may be retaliatory. With an estimated Sh20 million in monthly revenue at stake, totaling Sh245 million annually, the battle for control of Karura’s funds has sparked fears that the forest’s hard-won progress could be undone.</p>
<p dir="ltr">As FKF prepares to challenge KFS in court, the future of Karura Forest hangs in the balance. The community group has vowed to fight for the reinstatement of the joint management model, warning that the loss of community involvement could jeopardize the forest’s security, accessibility, and ecological health. Conservationists and residents alike are rallying to protect Karura, a symbol of what collective action can achieve. The outcome of this dispute will likely have far-reaching implications for community-led conservation and the management of public forests across Kenya.</p>
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