The Friends of Karura Forest (FKF) call on the Kenyan Government to immediately reverse the decision to end the highly successful joint management of Karura Forest between FKF a community association forest group, and the Kenya Forest Service (KFS).

The lack of transparency around the KFS takeover of the fee collection yesterday has left FKF without any guarantee of the availability of funds necessary to ensure the continued successful operation of Karura Forest. 

KFS incorrectly alleged in a press release that the new eCitizen payment system will not affect the institutional arrangements between themselves and the Friends of Karura Forest. This completely misrepresents the 20-year KFS/FKF Joint Management Agreement which specifies the joint obligations of the parties as:

a. Parties shall collect and deposit all revenue from Karura entrance gates, events, and other activities into an account jointly run by the parties in a bank approved by the Service Board.

b. This revenue shall be utilized specifically for:

i. Paying Friends of Karura Forest staff salaries and all relevant administrative costs;

ii. Maintenance of the fence, infrastructure, and silvicultural activities;

iii. Implementation of the Karura Forest Management Plan.

In line with this Agreement, FKF have overseen and managed all contracts related to operations, salaries for staff, security, infrastructure, and forest regeneration within Karura and remain financially liable for all these contracts.

However the abrupt transition to the eCitizen revenue collection means FKF has lost all access to the funds it has used to manage the forest. The letter from KFS informing FKF of this change did not mention how the “institutional arrangements” will be financed moving forward.

Karura Forest costs Ksh 10 – 12 million per month to manage but there are no assurances about the availability of funds necessary continue this critical work. This could mark a tragic end to a legacy built on transparency and respect in the management of the People’s Forest.