State steps in to ease Karura Forest row

The government has moved in to quell the simmering tension between the Kenya Forest Service and the Friends of Karura Community Forest Association over the management of Karura Forest.

On Tuesday, forest development secretary George Tarus chaired a meeting that brought together officers from KFS and Friends of Karura Community Forest Association (FKF-CFA).

The meeting was meant to iron out the emerging issues about the management of the vital forest.

During the meeting, deputy chief conservator of forests in charge of conservancy coordination, Francis Kariuki, represented chief conservator of forests Alex Lemarkoko.

On Wednesday, Tarus told the Star on the phone the meeting was meant to look into issues that partners had raised about the planned tree seedling production in Karura.

“The meeting also touched on the misinformation about setting up a barracks at Karura because we had received submissions and petitions from quite a number of partners, including the general citizens, about what was happening or is planned to happen in Karura,” he said.

Tarus said the ministry needed to have a session to ventilate the issues and see how best to have a win-win.

“We provided factual information that the proposed camp was being set up within an already inhabited area hosting KFS officers, and what is being proposed now is that additional facility for the NYS officers,” Tarus said.

The meeting was attended by Environment ministry principal state counsel Fatma Ali, KFS principal corporate communications officer Charles Ngunjiri, manager in charge of Karura Forest Edward Munene and Prof Karanja Njoroge on behalf of FKF-CFA.

Tarus said the officers are coming to address the labour issue in seedling production.

He said two million seedlings will be raised in Karura to green various areas.

Tarus said community forest associations (CFAs) will also be involved once resources are available, as the ongoing initiative will involve everyone in society.

He said they agreed they could be moving the camp to where other camps are located at the headquarters to be close to where the two million tree nursery will be located within the Tree Biotechnology Programme Trust (TBPT) nursery.

Tarus said the NYS will be housed in the proximity of the nursery.

“The longer term is to see how to enhance the conservation of Karura, and there are a number of things that we have agreed with Friends of Karura," he said, adding the government was listening.

Tarus said both parties appreciated the importance of Karura Forest and had prioritised its proper management for the benefit of present and future generations.

He encouraged the CFAs to ensure they continually renew their leadership.

Tarus said forest laws allow CFAs to withdraw members from a close proximity of the resource.

The KFS and Friends of Karura Community Forest Association have been engaged in a spat over attempts to put up a mega nursery in Karura.

On February 25, KFS announced that its grounds at the headquarters were being expanded to host a tree nursery and barracks.

This, KFS said, was in line with the presidential directive to raise tree seedlings towards growing 15 billion trees by 2032 for the achievement of 30 per cent tree cover.

KFS said the tree nursery will have a capacity of two million tree seedlings per year and expanded seedbeds.

In addition, KFS said it was partnering with the National Youth Service to raise the tree seedlings.

But Friends of Karura Community Forest Association rejected the ongoing projects, saying they should not be allowed to take place in the fragile forest.