Operations at Karura Forest remain ongoing despite rising tensions between the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and the Friends of Karura Forest (FKF) over the management of the urban green space.
In a statement, KFS assured the public that services at the forest had not been disrupted, with visitors continuing to enjoy recreational activities.
The agency said its staff, working in collaboration with members of the Community Forest Association (CFA), were maintaining normal operations.
“All budgetary provisions as per the submitted annual work plan and budget for 2025/2026 will be honoured and funded accordingly,” the Service said, adding that Chief Conservator of Forests Alex Lemarkoko had reassured CFA employees that no jobs would be lost.
However, KFS noted that some CFA workers had failed to report to duty despite repeated calls to resume work.
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At the same time, FKF raised concerns over the decision to cancel its partnership with KFEET, its sister organisation. The group warned that the fallout was harming vulnerable communities and conservation initiatives.
“When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers,” FKF said in a statement, lamenting the cancellation of KFEET’s environmental education programme that served 300 schoolchildren weekly, bursary-funded bike shops, the Karura regeneration project, and community contract work worth KSh 2 million a month.
Civil society voices have since called for calm.
In a separate appeal, Fiu Nifiu urged both KFS and FKF to de-escalate the row and pursue mediation to safeguard the forest’s future in the spirit and letter of the Forest Conservation and Management Act 2016.
Karura’s success story is largely because of the collaborative model incorporating the Kenya Forest Service, adjacent communities, and partners working together.
“Karura is our shared heritage; its well-being depends on cooperation, transparency, and mutual respect. With goodwill and a calm, organized process, these disputes can be resolved in the best interests of both the forest and the community,” the group said.
The standoff has cast uncertainty over one of Nairobi’s most popular urban forests, even as visitors continue streaming in for leisure and recreation.
