Conservationists raise alarm over forest destruction

The forest that was gazetted in 1932 initially covered an area of 7966 acres. That area has now reduced to 3026 acres.

“Two third of the forest is gone,” Ngong Road Community Forest Association chairman Simon Kage said 

He said the forest has been eaten up by roads, settlements schemes, jockey club, police stations, churches and schools, most of which were put up over the last 10 years. Another 138 acres has been lost to the Talanta Stadium, Kage said.

He said another 138 acres near Telkom has since been sealed off by concrete wall and cannot be assessed either by Kenya Forest Service and the community forest association.

“There was an advert calling for a five-star hotel within the same section but the tender was subdued,” Kage said.

A luxury tented camp is said to have hived off another 12 acres while some 22 acres has been taken up by the Riruta-Ngong town meter gauge railway line. Some 10 acres will be lost to the proposed road linking Talanta Stadium and Bomas International Conference Centre with five more acres reserved for a road construction camp inside the forest.

Kage said the ongoing projects have led to the fragmentation of forest and green spaces within the city.

Kage is among nature lovers who have told the government to forget about the 15 billion tree growing campaign if the ongoing destruction of protected areas is not halted.

Other groups that have criticised the encroachment include Friends of Nairobi's Forests and Green Spaces, The Green Belt Movement, Friends of Oloolua Forest, Oloolua Forest Association, Friends of Karura Forest, Friends of City Park, Friends of Nairobi Arboretum, Friends of Nairobi National Park, Thogoto Community Forest Association and JustAct.

“Kenya’s forests are facing an unprecedented wave of destruction. While the government continues to champion the ambitious target of growing 15 billion trees by 2032, the forest that already exist are being carved up for infrastructure, commercial developments and other projects,” Green Belt Movement’s advocacy manager Job Mwangi said.

Mwangi said the contradiction cannot be ignored.

“You cannot claim to restore forests while simultaneously destroying mature ecosystems that have taken decades and in some cases centuries to develop,” he said.

He said mature indigenous trees that have supported wildlife, stored carbon, regulated temperatures, protected rivers, replenished underground water, prevented floods, improved air quality and sustained livelihoods are being destroyed.

The organisations raised issues with Nairobi National Park, Imenti Forest, Uhuru Park, among other protected spaces that are being excised for development despite public uproar.

Mwangi said the ongoing destruction goes against numerous global environmental obligations that Kenya is a party to such as Paris Agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the African Landscape Restoration Initiative and the Bonn Challenge.

“The country has also committed to increasing national tree cover to at least 30 per cent and planting 15 billion trees. How genuine are these commitments if public forests, national parks and public green spaces continue to be sacrificed for development projects?”

Kenya's forests and protected areas occupy a fraction of the country's land area but continue to face pressure from infrastructure, illegal logging, charcoal production, settlement and land conversion.

Scientific evidence consistently demonstrates that mature forests provide ecosystem services that newly planted trees cannot immediately replace.

Globally, forests absorb billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, regulate rainfall patterns and support more than 80 per cent of terrestrial biodiversity.

Kenya's forests safeguard major water towers that feed rivers supplying millions of citizens with water for domestic use, agriculture, hydropower generation and industry.

Mwangi said the ongoing destruction especially in Nairobi are disturbing.

“Nairobi itself continues to experience rising temperatures, worsening air pollution and increased flooding associated with the steady loss of urban green spaces. Every acre of indigenous forest lost makes our cities hotter, our rivers weaker and our climate more unpredictable.”

Prof Karanja Njoroge from Friends of Karura said they were deeply concerned by the growing pattern of blatant disregard for court orders and the rule of law in matters affecting public forests.

“In several instances, including Ngong Road Forest and Upper Imenti Forest, construction activities, land clearing and other forms of development have reportedly continued despite orders of the High Court suspending such activities,” he said.

Njoroge said the continued defiance undermines the authority of the Judiciary, erodes public confidence in the administration of justice, and violates the Constitution of Kenya, which upholds the rule of law as a national value and principle of governance.

“We therefore demand that all government agencies, public institutions, private developers and contractors immediately comply with all court orders, cease any activities that contravene judicial directives and uphold their constitutional obligation to protect public forests. Respect for the rule of law is not optional, it is the foundation upon which constitutional governance, environmental justice and the protection of Kenya's natural heritage depend,” he said.

The organisations also heaped the blame on the key agencies saying they have failed Kenyans.

Friends of City Park board secretary Cynthia Wambaa lashed out at authorities for failing to act.

"We are deeply disturbed by the apparent failure of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) to discharge their constitutional and statutory responsibility to protect Kenya's forests, protected areas, and public green spaces."

Wambaa said the institutions exist to safeguard our environment, not to preside over their gradual destruction.

“As these areas continue to face encroachment, excisions and developments, Kenyans are left asking whether those entrusted with protecting our natural heritage have chosen silence over stewardship.”

Wambaa said both KFS and KWS are silent as country’s natural resources are being decimated.

“Where is the leadership when mature indigenous forests and national parks are being converted into construction sites. Where is the environmental oversight when developments proceed in areas that millions of Kenyans depend on for clean air, water security and biodiversity?”

Wambaa said silence in the face of environmental degradation is not neutrality but amounts to a failure of public trust.

“The Ministry of Environment, KFS, KWS and NEMA must urgently demonstrate to Kenyans that they remain committed to protecting forests and national parks rather than facilitating or acquiescing to their destruction. Every decision that compromises a public forest weakens Kenya's credibility on climate action and undermines the sacrifices made by communities and conservationists who continue to defend these ecosystems.”

The organisations cited Ngong road as one of the resources under attack as a result of the ongoing projects.

They urged law makers to strengthen legal safeguards against the fragmentation of forests, protected areas, and other public green spaces.