Why the Government Is Clearing 3 Acres of Karura Forest

The Ministry of Environment has confirmed plans to clear two to three acres of Karura Forest to establish a large-scale tree seedling propagation site and temporary accommodation for National Youth Service (NYS) personnel.

Environment Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa stated that the project is intended to produce between two million and ten million tree seedlings for distribution across Nairobi and other regions. She emphasised that the initiative supports government efforts to expand forest cover and dismissed claims linking the clearance to private development.

Barasa explained that temporary facilities for NYS officers are necessary to sustain the workforce needed to meet the project’s ambitious targets. The government aims to raise national forest cover from 20 percent to 30 percent and has pledged to plant 15 billion trees by 2032.

Civil society groups have raised concerns that the forest land could be diverted to private developers. The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) confirmed that NYS barracks are being established within Karura and other protected forests nationwide, with the objective of addressing persistent shortages of seedlings that have slowed past tree-planting campaigns.

Officials stressed that Karura remains protected public land and that the clearance does not constitute forest conversion. The ministry described the project as an investment in environmental restoration rather than degradation.