Linked to Karura Environmental Education
The Friends of Karura Forest (FKF) is a Community Forest Association (CFA) founded in October 2009. A CFA is a mechanism established by the Forest Act of 2005 ( sections 46 and 47, Forest Rules 41 and 42) to support the Kenya Forest Service in its mission to protect, manage and enhance Kenya's forest resources. Under the terms of a Joint Forest Management Agreement with the Kenya Forest Service, FKF is a full partner in the management and conservation of Karura Forest Reserve.
Internet Solutions (formerly the Access Kenya Group) has provided FKF and KFEET free Internet access since inception of the Trust. In 2018, IS provided a total fibre-optic WAN infrastructure solution for the new FKF-KFS offices at Limuru Gate-Aand all the forest points-of-entry under a generous buy-back scheme, an invaluable CSR in-kind support to the totality of FKF’s operations..
APA Insurance Ltd provides a substantial contribution towards the FKF Scouts’ WIBA and Employers Liability.
Bamburi Cement Ltd made a contribution of Cabro bricks towards the Limuru Gate road improvement project.
The Kenya Tourism Board supported Karura in 2010 by providing funds to the Kenya Forest Service for the rustic wooden direction signs still serving many junctions. KTF also paid for the printing of the first version of the FKF brochure and has supported several tree-planting exercises.
The Oshwal Community has been a major supporter of Friends of Karura since the inception of the association. It has been instrumental in bringing partners together to promote environmental education and is a founding member of the board and one of the trustees of KFEET, the Karura Forest Environmental Education Trust. Oshwal Community members have sponsored the planting of thousands of indigenous trees.
Mr. Mahmud Janmohamed, CEO of Serena Hotels, hosted a brunch for 40 of Kenya’s top CEO’s in March 2011 in order to raise funds for the Friends of Karura Forest’s project ‘wish-list’. This was a major contribution to kick-starting a culture of generous CSR support from Kenyan corporations as can be seen from this page
Tim Vaulkhard and Gerald Maina provided professional building design and supervision services pro-bono for the total realisation of Karura Forest House
A generous cash donation from Barclays Bank Ltd went towards salaries of the FKF Karura Forest Scouts and thereby facilitated recruitment of the initial cohort of scouts. All scouts have been recruited from the informal settlement communities adjacent to the forest, such as Huruma, Karura and Deep sea.
EABL has contributed in the early days significantly to ensure that the forest is safe and secure, and to enhance security for areas surrounding the forest. The first step was to fence the forest edges that were not already protected by private residence boundaries. EABL made a generous donation to the fencing of the main section of Karura Forest (over 700 hectares). EABL also kindly donated additional funds for fence maintenance.
Mr. Josef Schwartzman, CEO of H. Young & Co. (EA) Ltd agreed to provide an extremely generous CSR donation of expertise, machinery and materials to improve the main Limuru Road Gate-A access with a Cabro surface. Now visitors can avoid the dust in the dry season and have full access to Karura in the rains.
The World Agroforestry Centre provided support towards the clearing of degraded Eucalyptus plantations and replacing with indigenous species in the area of Karura Forest along their common boundary.
Norken International Ltd, engineering and management consultants, have provided pro-bono environmental impact assessment expertise to build the case for the proposed bridge over Limuru Road to connect the two parts of Karura Forest.
Many thanks to AAA Roses and Aldric Spindler of Red Lands Roses for provide many, many bunches of roses for celebrants to lay at the foot of the trees planted for the victims of the Westgate tragedy, at the annual memorial prayers at Amani Gardens in September 2015.
Osho Chemical Ltd has been providing both FKF and KFEET with advice, products and technical expertise.
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme and the Embassy of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta supported the installation of a water purification plant in the Huruma Village to give the inhabitants access to clean drinking water.
Mr. Shirikesh Kanabar, Director of Technology House Ltd, and his staff continue to provide technical computer advice, services and equipment pro bono or at greatly discounted costs.
Kenya Postel Directories Ltd, the Official Yellow Pages of Kenya has generously supported printing the official Karura Map and the List of Common Karura Birds. The map is very popular and revenues from its sales go right back into maintaining the forest safe and secure. Postel along with Wells Fargo, paid for Lantana clearing and indigenous tree-planting events amounting to over 1,000 trees near Junction 8.
Thanks to Mike Craft, Alliance Media Kenya, and Devin Shretta, Ovidian Advertising and Design Ltd, for executing and erecting the large signs at the forest’s main gates.
BBK provided at heavily discounted rates quantity surveying services as well as curated the tendering process for the new Karura Forest House office block.
Bins Nairobi Services Ltd, as part of its commitment to CSR, up until 2017 offered FKF free of charge weekly rubbish collection. Many thanks to Mr. Hardad Macharia, the GM, for agreeing to the arrangement to help keep Karura litter-free.
Davis and Shirtliff Ltd, the venerable Kenyan company that has provided ‘Water KnowH20w’ to East Africa for over 70 years, has been donating outstanding tree-planting and water management support over the past decade: clearing and planting of more than 1,000 trees; provision of pumps, hoses and delivery systems for watering of regenerating trees, including an underground irrigation system for Amani Garden pro-bono and one for KFEET at greatly subsidised cost; providing expertise and a pump to revamp an 60-year-old abandoned borehole discovered at Amani; and providing at cost waste-water treatment recycling plants at Karura Forest House and main entry gates.
The I & M Bank has supported tree-planting and maintenance of a 10 ha area near Wangari Maathai Track for more than a decade.
Eric Nyadimo, General Manager of Oakar Services (geospatial solutions and training) has provided greatly discounted survey services for the area of the proposed FKF offices at the Limuru Gate and the proposed footbridge over Limuru Road. Oakar also facilitated donation of ArcGIS from its principal, ESRI of Redlands California. ArcGIS is the main software used in making the Karura Forest Map.
Steel Structures Ltd has provided F.O.C. and at heavily discounted cost metal rondavels to be used both for equipment storage and to house FKF Scouts and KFS Rangers at key gate entry points to the forest.
Vivo Energy (Kenya) Ltd (formerly Shell Kenya Ltd) graciously agreed that its venerable Shell-BP Sports Club, which had been a feature of Karura since the 1950s, be transformed into an Education and Recreation Centre in support of forest environment conservation and education. The 6 ha (15 ac) plot is conveniently located on a all-weather track on the western edge of the main forest. The property was handed over to a newly-formed Karura Forest Environmental Education Trust (KFEET), of which Vivo continues to be an active member.
Chapa Copy Ltd has provided at a greatly discounted cost the new direction, information and warning signage now helping visitors throughout Karura Forest.
G4S Security Services (Kenya) Ltd and the Friends of Karura Forest Association have formed a long-term partnership, and G4S provided for some years free of charge and now at cost: A Security and Fence Manager to help with all matters related to events and associated security issues in the forest Guards at each of the four entry gates into the forest, Emergency response services in case of fire or accidents Guard services and an alarm response service at the Karura Forest Environmental Education Trust (KFEET) Centre Specialised security training for KFK Scouts and KFS Rangers.
Mr. Kul Bhakoo, CEO of Kul Graphics, generously agreed to undertake free of charge a large print run of the updated Friends of Karura brochure. Kul Graphics has supported printing a number of publications — maps, brochures, reports — at CSR-reduced rates, including a new Karura Visitors’ Guidebook and a free print run of the FKF 10-year Anniversary Report.
Pelican Signs Ltd donated all the original signage, junction and trail markers that you can still find see inside the forest, indicating the different jogging circuits and helping to encourage good forest etiquette. Thanks to the late Mr. B.R. Devani and his excellent staff for their most generous contribution.
Samsung-Kenya provided in 2017-18 a major CSR contribution towards planting 10,000 indigenous trees planted over two years as well as local construction of 200 benches and picnic tables deployed throughout Karura Forest Reserve.
Thanks to Mr. Hamed Ehsani, Director of the the Village Market, who has supported tree planting, and maintenance of the young trees. The Village has joined FKF as a Corporate Life Member.
AFEW (the ‘Giraffe Centre’) has made several important donations to cover: the cost of fencing the Sigiria section of the forest together with salaries for the scouts patrolling that part of the forest. for building stairs, bridges and a walkway on the Mau-Mau Caves and Waterfall circuit in the forest. to complete laboratory analysis of artifacts unearthed during archaeological excavations undertaken by the National Museums of Kenya in September 2011. to construct a fitness obstacle course in Sigiria portion of the forest. towards the Colobus Re-Introduction Project
Students possessing of a valid Student pass are welcome to join. Students may attend FKF meetings, but do not have voting rights.
The German Government through its Kenyan mission has kindly allocated significant funding for bee-keeping and a fish pond project for the Huruma Village informal settlement.
Mr. Rupert Watson, as co-executor of the George Drew Estate, agreed to make significant donations over three years beginning 2010 for the conservation and management of Karura. In 2013, a further sum was granted in order to construct additional security fencing to separate the KFS Headquarters offices, staff accommodation, infrastructure and social amenities from the rest of the forest.
ICIPE, the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (African Insect Science for Food and Health) conducted a one week bee-keeping training course for Huruma beekeepings in 2011. The organisation has been allowed to maintain apiaries in Karura for the purposes of research and breeding of docile and productive strains of honey bees.
Prime Bank Ltd. made a generous cash donation towards housing for Kenya Forest Service rangers and the toilet facility at the Main Limuru Road Gate.
SBM Bank (Kenya Ltd) provided support for FKF’s Ten-Year Anniversary celebration in October 2019.
Since June 2017 TakaTaka Solution, a company that fully recycles non-organic material, has collected Karura Forest rubbish. Ninety-five percent of the annual 10 tonnes collected gets recycled.
The United Nations Office in Nairobi provided funding for additional electric perimeter fencing for a vulnerable corner between Wispers Estate and the UN compound. UNON has joined FKF as a Corporate Life Member. UNON also provided support towards the clearing of degraded Eucalyptus plantations and replacing with indigenous species in the area of Karura Forest along their common boundary.
In 2010, BATUK seconded a logistics expert at captain rank to provide valuable basic training for the FKF scouts who had been recruited from the community of the informal settlements abutting the forest. The Karura Forest Scouts supplement the regular Kenya Forest Service patrolling of the forest. They also serve as guides for visitors and additional man- (and woman-) power for trail clearing and emergency response.
For over a decade, the Environmental Systems Research Institute of Redlands, California USA, through ESRI-EA has provided FKF with free software licensing to produce our official Karura Map using the industry standard software, ArcGIS. Now ESRI-EA is developing pro-bono a mobile Karura MapApp to enhance visitor experience and coordination of forest management.
KPMG served pro-bono as auditors for the Friends of Karura Forest from 2013-2015. This service was of enormous benefit, both in terms of setting the CFA off on a path of sound financial management oversight as well as helping realise significant savings to the modest FKF budget.
A group of young concerned citizens say “Let’s Pull Together” (“Sukuma Twende”) to make Kenya and the world a better place through sports, community works and now tree-planting in Karura Forest. The group has been at the forefront for raising funds and awareness to provide funding for the improvement of the Amani events area.
Over the early years of the Friends of Karura, until the completion of of Karura Forest House in 2018, Mr. Shretta kindly provided office space and administrative support for the FKF secretariat in his Triad House premises.
Woodcharm has provided the three finely-crafted benches that tired walkers can enjoy along Kipepeo Trail (between junction numbers 9 and 10), at Lily Lake (paid for by from Mr. Markus Haefliger), and at the waterfall. Plus it has paid for the clearing to plant 60 Cape Mahogany trees near the Ranger Village.
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The Friends of Karura is a Community Forest Association comprising Kenyans and other champions of participatory forest management who are dedicated to protecting for future generations the city’s largest green area, the Karura Forest Reserve.
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