By Nyang’au Araka
Nairobi’s cherished Karura Forest, often described as the city’s “green lungs,” is facing renewed threats as indigenous trees are being felled to pave way for construction.
It is claimed that trees around a spot known as the Rangers Village are being cleared to pave way for the construction of buildings to be occupied by the National Youth Service (NYS).
On Thursday, an environmental conservation outfit that operates as Friends of Karura Forest (FKF) issued a statement claiming that chainsaws and heavy machinery have been roaring in the forest for days now.
So far, an unknown number of trees have been cut down and uprooted, with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) Station Manager reportedly allowing access to the site.
The conservation group, which co-manages the forest with KFS, says it was not consulted despite recent joint meetings.
“As co-managers of Karura, we demand an immediate end to this work. Any proposals for development or building work inside the forest on this land must be brought out in the open for discussion,” said Prof Njoroge Karanja of the FKF Board.
The controversy follows last year’s secret overnight tarmacking of a road inside the forest, which FKF opposed in court.
KFS has claimed on social media that the cleared area lies within its headquarters, but FKF insists it is located about a kilometre inside the forest.
The group fears the site will host barrack-style accommodation for NYS teams, despite the current Karura Forest Management Plan directing that the Rangers Village be relocated to the KFS headquarters area bordering Kiambu Road.
“It is 15 years today since Karura was officially opened and it has been an extraordinary achievement to jointly protect and conserve the forest,” Prof Karanja said.
“All this progress is now under threat from this proposal for barracks for a large number of people which will cause huge disruption inside the forest.”
FKF urged immediate action to halt the clearance and restore the land to indigenous forest, safeguarding one of Nairobi’s most vital natural sanctuaries.
Karura Forest, which was saved from irreversible destruction in the 1990s, rises like a living cathedral, its canopy thick with indigenous trees.
The air there is cool and crisp, carrying the earthy perfume of damp soil and fresh leaves.
On sunny days, the light filters through the dense foliage in golden shards, dancing across winding trails where birdsong and the rustle of monkeys animate the silence.
It is no wonder the forest is called Nairobi’s lungs—a sanctuary that breathes life into the city, offering shade, water, and a rare refuge of tranquility.
Former environmentalist and Nobel Prize winner, Wangarĩ Maathai, once stood firm against destructive developments in Karura Forest.
She remains a powerful symbol of resistance as conservationists today echo her call to protect Nairobi’s green lungs from chainsaws and concrete.
