Hands off Karura Forest: Board member slams state over eCitizen cash grab
By Ascah Mwango, September 7, 2025Friends of Karura Forest (FKF) has asked the government to back off after a decision to redirect forest entry and parking payments to the eCitizen platform.
Speaking on a local TV station on Sunday, September 7, 2025, FKF Board Member Karanja Njoroge stated that the move is not only unnecessary but also potentially dangerous for the survival of Karura Forest, which has been sustained for years through the collection of funds at the gates.
That cash, he said, is what pays for rangers, trail maintenance, tree planting and keeping land grabbers away. Without it, he warned, the forest could slip back into the sorry state it was before Kenyans fought to save it.
Njoroge noted that Karura Forest’s revival was never a government project. It was citizens who raised the money, mobilised volunteers and turned an overrun woodland into one of Nairobi’s best-kept green escapes.
Since 2009, FKF and the Kenya Forest Service have managed the space side by side, building the walking trails, cycling routes and picnic areas that draw thousands every month. With payments now headed into government coffers, the association fears the forest’s management will grind down under red tape.
“We have been involved since 2009 as a community forest association, and we have worked very well with the Kenya Forest Service. I do not see why they could not consult us on a critical issue like this one, which takes away our finances from eCitizen. It cannot be a command and control,” Njoroge declared.
Adding;
“Saving Karura Forest took a lot of money. We did not ask for it from the government; we raised the funds to save Karura. Karura was gone; it was people’s plots.”
Financial irregularities
His remarks come days after Chief Conservator of Forests Alex Lemarkoko made serious allegations against FKF.
In an interview on September 3, Lemarkoko said an audit commissioned by the Ministry of Environment had uncovered financial irregularities within the community association.
“You will be shocked at the kind of embezzlement of funds by FKF,” he said.
Lemarkoko further accused the group of failing to follow procedure by not submitting budgets and work plans for approval by the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), despite this being a requirement under their joint management agreement.
He also dismissed claims by FKF that land-grabbing and road construction projects were taking place inside Karura Forest. According to him, those claims were misleading.
On the issue of payments, Lemarkoko defended the decision to move transactions to eCitizen, saying the change was in line with efforts to improve accountability.
“The only change is the payment platform itself; all other aspects of forest management will remain the same,” he said.
Since late August, all visitors to Karura Forest have been required to pay entry and parking fees through the eCitizen PayBill number 222222 following a directive from the National Treasury.
The decision has, however, been met with resistance from FKF. On September 1, the organisation filed a petition in the Environment and Land Court seeking to stop the transition. FKF argued that the new system violates the joint management agreement signed with KFS and puts at risk the livelihoods of more than 122 staff and 300 community members who depend on forest revenues.
The petition also questioned how transparent the eCitizen platform would be in handling funds collected from the forest. The case is scheduled for a hearing on September 22, 2025.