The battle over money and management of Nairobi’s Karura Forest has taken a dramatic turn after the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) on Friday seized control of Karura’s entry gates, hiking entry fees by a staggering 74%.
With daily gate collections ranging between Sh200,000 and Sh400,000, the move looks to have shifted Karura Forest from a sanctuary of nature to a lucrative cash cow, drawing in government operatives more interested in siphoning revenue than safeguarding the forest.
For visitors, the shift means higher fees and efficiency uncertainty, but for Karura itself, the stakes are larger: whether the forest remains a community-driven success story or becomes another state-controlled revenue stream.
The move has ignited tensions with the Friends of Karura Forest (FKF), the community group that has transformed the forest from a crime-ridden wasteland into a thriving urban sanctuary.
“KFS has forcefully taken over the gates and sidelined FKF staff,” said Nyaguthii Chege, Chair of the Greenbelt Movement, in a statement to Big3 Africa.
A spot check by our team confirmed the takeover, with visitors now facing higher costs for entry from KES 100 to KES 174, parking, and services across Karura, including the Sigiria block.
“All payments for gate entry, parking, and related services in Karura Forest, including the Sigiria block, will be made exclusively through the official e-Citizen platform (Paybill 222222) effective Friday, 29th August 2025,” KFS said.
But for FKF, the community-based group that has managed the forest since 2010, the takeover raises alarm bells.
For the 15 years, FKF has been the heartbeat of Karura’s revival managing daily operations, maintaining trails, and ensuring safety, turning a once-feared forest, plagued by muggings, murders, and rapes into Nairobi’s “green heart.”
Employing 135 salaried workers and 300 casuals, mostly from nearby Githogoro informal settlements, FKF channels its Sh225 to 245 million in annual revenue back into conservation, community support, and wages of up to Sh2 million monthly.
The model, once hailed as a benchmark for public–private partnerships, now faces an uncertain future under state-controlled management, a system that, critics argue, has too often been marred by inefficiency and corruption.
Prof. Karanja Njoroge, FKF’s chairperson, has accused the government of moving in to control Karura’s growing revenues without acknowledging the group’s work.
“This forest was once a notorious crime hotspot full of muggings, murders, rapes, you name it,” he told Big3Africa. “Nobody dared to set foot here. But since 2010, we have turned it around. Karura is now the green heart of Nairobi attracting 55,000 visitors a month. Why disrupt a system that works?”
“We operate with transparency,” Prof. Karanja said, noting that FKF and KFS already share a joint bank account approved by the Treasury. “This is not about accountability. It is about control. And we will not stand aside as KFS tries to undo the progress we’ve made.”
While KFS holds legal custodianship, FKF’s grassroots stewardship has been central to transforming the once crime-infested woodland into a thriving biodiversity hub. Karura’s 2,570 acres now host more than 260 bird species, antelope, monkeys, and restored indigenous trees.
As the trees stand silent, their leaves whispering in the wind, Karura once again finds itself at the heart of a struggle, not against bulldozers and land grabbers, but over money, power, and the soul of conservation.
