Chief Conservator of Forests Alex Lemarkoko has accused the Friends of Karura Forest (FKF) of financial impropriety, escalating tensions in the ongoing dispute over the management of the Nairobi-based forest.
Speaking on Citizen TV’s The Explainer Show on Tuesday night, Lemarkoko claimed that an audit ordered by the Ministry of Environment had uncovered irregularities in how FKF handled revenues from the jointly managed forest.
Alleged Audit Findings
Under Section 13 of the joint management agreement, all revenues from Karura’s gates are supposed to be deposited in a jointly-run account approved by the Kenya Forest Service (KFS). According to Lemarkoko, FKF failed to comply.
“An audit was carried out by our ministry, and a number of issues were unveiled. You will be shocked at the kind of embezzlement of funds by FKF,” he alleged.
He further said FKF had not provided certified accounts to the KFS Board and failed to submit budgets and work plans as required. The audit reportedly revealed:
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Manipulation of surplus revenue
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Non-disclosure of financial records
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Failure to submit bank balances and statements
“The conclusion is that although we are in agreement as two parties, one party is frustrating the contract between us,” Lemarkoko said.
Forest Grabbing Claims Dismissed
The forest boss accused FKF of diverting public attention from accountability issues by raising alarms over alleged forest grabbing.
“That is not true. You cannot grab a forest now. The current Forest Conservation and Management Act is so stringent — Section 34 requires numerous processes before a boundary can be altered — that it is practically impossible to grab a forest in Kenya today. Grabbing of forests is a matter of the past,” he maintained.
He also defended the construction of 3.2 kilometres of tarmac roads inside Karura, insisting they were limited to linking facilities within the forest’s headquarters, not cutting through the woodland.
“It’s not the forest itself. The headquarters has a network of roads linking staff quarters, the canteen, the information centre, and houses. We secured support from one of our stakeholders to upgrade these roads. It’s not going into the forest,” Lemarkoko clarified.
The Revenue Collection Dispute
At the heart of the standoff is the government’s directive that all park entry fees be collected via the eCitizen platform. Lemarkoko insisted this shift would improve transparency and not affect FKF’s staffing.
“The main agenda is that we must transform and transit from manual collection of land revenues to the eCitizen platform. This does not change the structure of FKF. All staff will continue to work, and KFS will facilitate that through the joint account,” he said.
Ongoing Court Battle
FKF has challenged the directive in court, arguing it undermines the joint management model of Karura. The case is set to be heard on September 22, 2025.
