By Milliam Murigi
Conservationists have accused the government of contradicting its own ambitious tree-growing campaign by allowing the destruction of indigenous forests and public green spaces for infrastructure and commercial developments.
In a joint statement, community forest associations and conservation advocates said that while the government continues to champion the ambitious target of growing 15 billion trees by 2032, the forests that already exist are being steadily carved up for infrastructure, commercial developments and other projects.
“Other cities across the world are investing billions to increase urban tree cover. Kenya should not be moving in the opposite direction. Development and environmental protection are not mutually exclusive. Engineering solutions exist that preserve mature trees while improving transport infrastructure,” said Job Mwangi, Advocacy Manager at the Green Belt Movement.
Indigenous forests, according to Mwangi, are far more than just tree cover. They are complex ecosystems that regulate the climate, store carbon, protect rivers, recharge groundwater, support biodiversity and sustain livelihoods. These vital ecological functions cannot simply be replaced by planting seedlings elsewhere.
According to him, Kenya has committed itself to numerous global environmental obligations, including the Paris Agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative and the Bonn Challenge.
The country has also committed to increasing national tree cover to at least 30 percent and planting 15 billion trees. But how genuine are those commitments if public forests, national parks and green spaces continue to be sacrificed for development projects?
“You cannot claim to restore forests while simultaneously destroying mature ecosystems that have taken decades and in some cases centuries, to develop,” said Mwangi.
Prof. Karanja Njoroge from Friends of Karura Forest revealed that Kenya has one of the lowest levels of forest cover in the East African region and urged the country to focus on protecting forests rather than relying on tree cover statistics.
He said that, Kenya cannot claim to be a leader in conservation while allowing its national parks, forests and protected areas to be opened up for development. True climate leadership is measured not by ambitious speeches or tree-planting targets, but by the resolve to protect the natural ecosystems that already exist.
“We keep changing our terminologies. We talk about tree cover instead of forest cover. We need to be serious as Kenyans about protecting forest ecosystems for biodiversity and water security,” said Prof. Karanja.
The groups raised concern over several ongoing and proposed developments, including plans to allocate parts of Ngong Road Forest for the Talanta Sports City project, access roads, a railway corridor, construction sites and a luxury camp. They claimed the developments could consume about 79 hectares of the forest.
According to them, despite previous government commitments to halt the luxury tented camp project, construction activities continue within this public forest. This is despite the fact that each of these developments fragments the forest ecosystem and collectively, they pose a serious threat to one of Nairobi’s most important ecological assets.
“These are not isolated projects. They represent a dangerous and growing pattern where protected public forests are increasingly treated as available land for infrastructure and commercial development, contrary to the principles of sustainable development and environmental protection,” said Prof Njoroge.
They also criticized proposed projects in Imenti Forest, including an airstrip, state lodge and golf course, arguing that the forest is a critical water tower and biodiversity hotspot whose ecological value outweighs the proposed developments.
In Nairobi, the conservationists opposed plans to remove mature trees along State House Road and Dennis Pritt Road to facilitate road expansion, saying the trees have provided shade, reduced urban temperatures and improved air quality for decades.
The groups further called for the protection of Uhuru Park and City Park, warning that continued encroachment and unresolved land ownership disputes threaten some of the capital’s few remaining public green spaces.
“We call upon the Government of Kenya to immediately halt all activities that result in the destruction or excision of public forests and green spaces unless there is transparent public participation, comprehensive environmental assessments and proof that no environmentally viable alternatives exist,” said Cynthia Wambaa, Friends of City Park Board Secretary.
They accused key state agencies, including the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and the Ministry of Environment, of failing to fulfil their constitutional responsibility to safeguard forests and protected areas.
According to the group, rather than safeguarding Kenya’s forests and protected areas, some of the institutions have facilitated developments in ecologically sensitive areas, a move they say is inconsistent with their conservation mandates.
“We call upon the Government of Kenya to immediately halt all activities that result in the destruction or excision of public forests and green spaces unless there is transparent public participation, comprehensive environmental assessments and proof that no environmentally viable alternatives exist,” said Akshay Vishwanath, JustAct Executive. Director.
They also accused developers and public agencies of disregarding court orders meant to protect threatened ecosystems. They cited Ngong Road Forest and Upper Imenti Forest, where they said construction, land clearing and other activities have continued despite High Court directives suspending the projects until ongoing legal cases are determined.
They warned that ignoring such orders weakens the authority of the Judiciary, erodes public confidence in the justice system and violates the Constitution, which enshrines the rule of law as a national value and principle of governance.
“We are urging all government agencies and private developers to comply with court orders protecting forests and halt projects that threaten protected ecosystems,” said Vishwanath.
They also appealed to Parliament to exercise greater oversight over developments affecting forests, warning that continued loss of indigenous forests would undermine biodiversity, water security, climate resilience and Kenya’s tourism sector.
Kenya is already experiencing rising temperatures, worsening air pollution and increased flooding associated with the steady loss of urban green spaces. Every hectare of indigenous forest lost makes the cities hotter, rivers weaker and climate more unpredictable.
