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Post Reply: Kenya Forest Service Alleges Financial Misconduct by Friends of Karura Forest, Justifies eCitizen Payment Shift

<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 3, 2025, 7:00 am</div><div id="pl-7826"  class="panel-layout" ><div id="pg-7826-0"  class="panel-grid panel-no-style" ><div id="pgc-7826-0-0"  class="panel-grid-cell"  data-weight="1" ><div id="panel-7826-0-0-0" 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 []">A heated dispute has erupted between the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and the Friends of Karura Forest (FKF), a community trust that has co-managed the Karura Forest Reserve for over 15 years. The conflict centers on allegations of financial impropriety leveled by KFS against FKF, with the state agency citing an audit that uncovered what it claims are fraudulent practices. This has prompted KFS to mandate that all payments for entry, parking, and services at Karura Forest be processed exclusively through the government’s eCitizen platform, a move FKF has fiercely opposed, labeling it a unilateral takeover that violates their joint management agreement.</p>
<p dir="ltr">KFS Chief Conservator of Forests, Alex Lemarkoko, has publicly accused FKF of embezzling funds and failing to adhere to financial accountability standards. According to Lemarkoko, an audit revealed serious deviations from the joint management agreement, including manipulation of surplus revenue, non-disclosure of financial records, and failure to submit certified accounts, work plans, bank balances, and financial statements to the KFS Board. “You will be shocked at the kind of embezzlement of funds by FKF,” Lemarkoko stated, emphasizing that the organization’s lack of transparency necessitated the shift to eCitizen to ensure proper handling of public funds. He further accused FKF of diverting attention from these accountability lapses by raising concerns about alleged land grabbing within the forest.</p>
<p dir="ltr">On August 28, 2025, KFS announced that, effective immediately, all payments for Karura Forest services, including gate entry, parking, and activities in the Sigiria block, must be made through the eCitizen platform using Paybill number 222222. The agency described the transition as part of a nationwide initiative to enhance transparency, security, and efficiency in public revenue collection, in line with a National Treasury directive to phase out non-designated payment platforms. The move has introduced additional charges, including Value Added Tax (VAT) and a KSh 50 convenience fee per transaction, leading to a significant fee hike. Adult entry fees have risen from KSh 100 to KSh 174, and children’s fees have increased from KSh 50 to KSh 116, prompting public outcry.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Lemarkoko defended the eCitizen shift, clarifying that it does not alter the co-management structure with FKF or affect staff employment. “There is no change in partnership. KFS remains the principal manager working with the CFA. The only change is that funds will now be channeled through another process,” he said during a media interview on September 2, 2025. He also noted that the convenience fee applies per transaction, not per person, meaning groups pay a single fee. To ensure a smooth transition, Lemarkoko personally oversaw operations at Karura Forest on August 29, 2025, engaging with visitors, service providers, and scouts. KFS has also introduced digital payment options via phone and card, claiming transactions take about one minute to improve visitor experience.</p>
<p dir="ltr">FKF has vehemently denied the allegations of financial misconduct and accused KFS of orchestrating a hostile takeover that undermines a 20-year joint management agreement formalized in 2009 under the Forest Conservation and Management Act of 2005. The agreement stipulates that revenues from entrance fees, events, and other activities be deposited into a joint account to fund staff salaries, infrastructure maintenance, silvicultural activities, and the Karura Forest Management Plan (2021–2041). FKF argues that the eCitizen directive cuts off their access to these funds, threatening the forest’s operations, which cost between KSh 10–12 million monthly to maintain.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Prof. Karanja Njoroge, an FKF board member, described the KFS move as a violation of the cooperative framework, emphasizing the community’s significant contributions to Karura’s transformation. “We invested KSh 37 million, even more, in Karura Forest. That could have been negotiated around a table – you don’t look down on us like we don’t matter,” Njoroge said on Nation FM’s Fixing the Nation show on September 1, 2025. He highlighted FKF’s role in turning Karura from a crime-ridden no-go zone, notorious for violent robberies and murders in the 1990s, into a safe urban sanctuary attracting over 70,000 visitors monthly. FKF has invested heavily in infrastructure, including an electric fence built without government support, and employs 135 salaried workers and 300 casuals, many from nearby low-income communities like Huruma and Githogoro.</p>
<p dir="ltr">FKF has taken the matter to the Environment and Land Court, filing a petition on September 1, 2025, before Lady Justice A. Omollo. The group seeks urgent orders to halt the eCitizen mandate, reinstate the joint revenue system, and declare the directive unconstitutional, arguing it violates the legally binding management plan. The petition also cites concerns about eCitizen’s transparency, referencing a March 2025 Auditor-General report that flagged Sh1.8 billion in unlawful convenience fees, Sh6.3 billion in unreconciled receipts, and Sh127 million in unauthorized transfers to private entities. Justice Omollo certified the case as urgent, scheduling a hearing for September 22, 2025, and directing the Ministry of Environment and KFS to respond within 14 days.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The dispute extends beyond financial control to other KFS actions that FKF claims threaten Karura’s conservation. FKF has criticized the construction of 3.2 kilometers of tarmac roads within the forest, intended to link facilities like staff quarters and the information center. Njoroge reported being denied access to inspect the work, calling it a breach of the cooperative management model. Lemarkoko defended the project, stating the roads are confined to the headquarters area and do not encroach on the forest itself, funded by a stakeholder to improve infrastructure.</p>
<p dir="ltr">FKF also accused KFS of exceeding approved timber harvesting limits, cutting 35 hectares instead of the agreed 10 hectares, which they argue damages efforts to restore Karura’s indigenous ecosystem. These actions, combined with the eCitizen shift, have fueled perceptions of a broader KFS agenda to centralize control, prompting protests on August 29, 2025, where FKF members and local residents demonstrated at the forest’s Kiambu Road entrance, throwing water bottles and other items in frustration.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Karura Forest, spanning 1,041 hectares, is Nairobi’s largest urban green space and a symbol of community-led conservation. In the 1990s, it faced severe threats from land grabbing, with over 500 hectares allocated to private developers between 1994 and 1998. Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai, alongside FKF and activists, led a fierce campaign to protect the forest, facing violent crackdowns. Their efforts, supported by community contributions and partnerships like a Sh3.7 million grant from East Africa Breweries Limited, transformed Karura into a thriving haven with over 50 kilometers of trails, caves, waterfalls, and diverse wildlife, including 260 bird species, antelopes, and monkeys.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The Green Belt Movement (GBM), founded by Maathai, has joined FKF in condemning KFS’s actions, describing Karura as a model of public-community collaboration built on “blood, sweat, and sacrifice.” GBM Chair Nyaguthii Chege emphasized the forest’s role as a global example of participatory conservation, warning that sidelining FKF risks reversing decades of progress. Former Chief Justice David Maraga also criticized the eCitizen directive, citing a lack of public participation as a violation of Article 10 of the Constitution and questioning the platform’s transparency based on the Auditor-General’s findings.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The Karura dispute has sparked widespread public discourse, with many Kenyans expressing support for FKF on social media platforms like X, urging protection of the forest’s community-led model. The conflict highlights tensions between government-driven centralization and community-based conservation, raising questions about transparency and accountability in public revenue management. FKF has called for an interim mechanism, such as an escrow account, to ensure funds remain accessible for forest operations during the transition, alongside regular audits to restore confidence.</p>
<p dir="ltr">KFS maintains that the eCitizen shift complies with national directives and enhances accountability, with Lemarkoko assuring the public that forest operations, security, and co-management remain intact. The agency has emphasized collaboration through the Joint Forest Management Committee, which includes three members each from KFS and FKF, and encouraged visitors to provide feedback on the new system.</p>
<p dir="ltr">As the legal battle looms and public attention intensifies, the future of Karura Forest hangs in the balance. The outcome will determine whether it continues as a beacon of community-driven conservation or becomes a cautionary tale of centralized control overriding local efforts. For now, FKF remains steadfast in its fight to preserve the “People’s Forest,” mobilizing Kenyans and international partners to safeguard its legacy</p>
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