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Boniface Mwangi: Hike in fees and job cuts drove people away from Karura Forest
14th September, 2025 10:15 AM
Activist Boniface Mwangi has accused the government of killing the vibrancy of Karura Forest after what he described as mismanagement and unfair decisions.
Mwangi on X on Sunday, September 14, 2025, said that before recent changes, an estimated 70,000 people visited Karura every month.
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He claimed that the forest is now deserted after gate charges were raised, more than 300 community caretakers were dismissed, and revenue collection was shifted from the Community Forest Association to the government.
“The regime seized the forest, raised gate prices, and fired 300 community caretakers, and now Karura is empty. @KeForestService posts lies. Sign the petition,” Mwangi wrote on social media.
His remarks came shortly after a viral video showed unusually empty trails at Karura Forest during a sunny weekend.
The person behind the video questioned whether people had deliberately boycotted the facility, noting, “Na mtuambie kama ilikua tu boycott Karura because there’s no way the place was empty like that today on a sunny weekend.”
KFS responds
The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has since responded to the uproar, dismissing claims that Karura Forest is unsafe or at risk of land grabbing.
In a statement titled Karura Forest: A Safe Haven for Posterity, KFS acknowledged that an online petition is circulating but insisted the concerns raised were misleading.
According to KFS, the shift to the eCitizen platform for gate payments was not a unilateral decision but part of a wider government directive.
“Gazette Notice No. 16008 of 2022 directs all national government revenues received by national government entities to be collected into the eCitizen platform,” the agency explained.
KFS further clarified that while the mode of revenue collection has changed, other aspects of joint management between the Service and the Karura Community Forest Association remain intact.
The agency emphasised that the Forest Conservation and Management Act, 2016, requires continued co-management with local communities and assured Kenyans that Karura remains secure and open to the public.
“The public is therefore urged to disregard the online petition and seek clarification from the Kenya Forest Service on any matter of concern. All are welcome to visit Karura, with gates open between 6.00 am and 6.00 pm daily,” the statement concluded.
