Karura Forest is an urban forest in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. The forest was gazetted in 1932 [1] and is managed by the Kenya Forest Service [2].
Due to its proximity to a growing city, there have been plans to reduce the forest in favour of housing and other development. However, these plans have been controversial in conservation viewpoint. In the late 90's there were housing projects that would had excised portions of the forest. Conservationists, led by Wangari Maathai, the leader of Green Belt Movement who later became a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, carried out a much publicised campaign for saving the forest. Karura Forest became also a symbol of controversial land grabbings in Kenya [3].
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Karura Forest has an area of 1 063.0 ha, making it largest of three main gazetted forest in Nairobi. The others are Ngong Forest and Ololua Forest. The centrally located Nairobi Arboretum is much smaller [1].
Karura Forest is located north of central Nairobi and is bordered by the suburbs of Muthaiga, Gigiri, Runda, Ridgeways, Mathare North, Highridge and Spring Valley. Western part of the forest is also known as Sigiria Forest [4].
The area north of central Nairobi forms a drainage basin and was once heavily forested, but exists today only as patches like Karura Forest and City Park [5]. The forest is cut by Thigirie, Getathuru, Rui Ruaka and Karura Rivers, all tributaries of Nairobi River [4].
Features in the forest include a waterfall, bamboo forest, marshland, Mau Mau caves and an old church [6].
The United Nations Office at Nairobi and UNEP headquarters are located adjacent to the forest [4]. The Karura Forest Product Research Centre is also located there [7].
Wildlife in the forest include Monkey species, bush baby, bushbuck, bush pig, porcupine, duiker, genet, dik dik, African civet and epauletted bat [1].
Plant species typical to the forest include Olea europaea (var. africana), Croton megalocarpus, Warburgia ugandensis, Brachyleana huillensis and Uvaridendron anisatum [1].
Parts of the forest were degazetted by Minister of Environment Jeremiah Nyagah in 1989 [8]. Between 1994 and 1998 a total of 564.14 hectares of the forest were secretly allocated to 64 different companies for housing projects [9]. Around 1995 there were plans to build a housing estate in the forest, but opposition by local residents led to temporary shelving of the plans [10].
The projects revitalised again in September 1998, when the Forest Department was issued a quit notice by private developers[11]. The clearing of the forest started igniting fierce protests by environmentalists and others concerned. On October 7, 1998 the construction site was invaded by demonstrators, including 12 opposition MP's. The protest turned violent and bulldozers and other machinery used to clear the forest was destroyed worth more than 80 million Ksh (2$ US million) [12].
Minister for Lands and Settlements Noah Katana Ngala released a list of companies who had been allocated land in Karura Forest in November 1998. However, the records of those companies were not found at Registrar General's office, making it difficult to trace the individuals behind these companies [13].
On January 8, 1999 when a group of women led by Wangari Maathai were holding a demonstration by planting trees near the forest, a large group of security guards attacked them. Several of them were injured, including Maathai who was taken to Nairobi Hospital [14]. The police was reluctant to investigate the incident. However, the Attorney-General Amos Wako apologised Maathai and promised an inquiry on the incident [15].
The Time Magazine, in support of Maathai, named her a Hero of the Week in 1998 [16]. Klaus Töpfer, the executive director of UNEP, warned that the organization may move its headquarters out of Kenya if the forest faces destruction [16]. The UN Secretary General Kofi Annan also condemned the attack on Maathai [17]. Architectural Association of Kenya asked in November 1998 Kenyan architects not to be involved with any design that would threat the forest [13]
Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi criticised the protesters and asked the Church not to involve itself with the saga [18]. Minister for Natural Resources Francis Lotodo defended the projects in January 1999 stating that Nairobi as a growing city needed space for development [15]. Professor R. A. Obudho of University of Nairobi, who specialises in urbanisation, also supported the projects [19]
University of Nairobi students held several demonstrations for preservation the forest. On January 20, 1999 several students were injured when they clashed with police. The University if Nairobi was closed temporarily following the protests, and all students were ordered to leave the campus [20]. Opposition MP's James Orengo (Ford-Kenya), David Mwenje (DP) and Njehu Gatabaki (SDP) were charged in court for attending student protests [21].
Eventually housing plans were taken down in lack of public support, but land allocations still stood in place [9].
In 2003 the NARC government led by Mwai Kibaki replaced the long-standing Moi-led KANU-government. In 2003 the Minister of Environment Newton Kulundu denied the American investor Raymond Chisholm a permit to construct a hotel in the forest [8]. Learning that the new government would revoke dubious KANU-era land allocations, developers started to relinquish their properties in the forest [22]
The new forest act in 2005 made it more difficult to degazette forests in Kenya, thus protecting Karura Forest as well [23]
There was a project by Kenya Forest Service, UNEP and Red Cross Kenya in 2008 to cut down eucalyptus and blue gum trees in parts of the forest and plant indigenous species in their place. Green Belt Movement was doubtful with the project, fearing that logging of the forest could actually lead to private developers invading the forest [24]
In 2009 it was reported that part of the forest had been allocate to the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA). This plan was also opposed by Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement, who stated that that NEMA should be protecting, not destructing the forest [25].
Karura Forest is now developed as a visitor's attraction. This includes creation of nature trails [26]. The first trail, which is four kilometres long and connects Limuru Road with Old Kiambu Road was opened in May 2009 [6]. An electric fence is being built around the forest for security reasons [27].
The Karura Forest Environmental Education Trust (K-FEET) was formed in 2010, and launched by the minister of Forestry Noah Wekesa[23]. It will manage an environmental education centre located in Karura Forest [28]
The Nairobi northern bypass road, under construction since 2009, will pass through a wetland which is said to feed Karura Forest, thus posing a threat to the forest [29].
There is a camping site in the forest [6].