Environment Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa has confirmed that a portion of Karura Forest is being cleared to create space for a tree seedling nursery and temporary housing for officers from the National Youth Service (NYS).
Speaking in a television interview, Barasa said the government had cleared between two and three acres of the forest to facilitate the production of about five million tree seedlings.
She explained that the seedlings will support afforestation initiatives across the country, including planting programmes in public forests, parks, schools, highways and urban areas.
According to the CS, the project is part of the government’s broader campaign to significantly increase tree planting in order to expand Kenya’s forest cover in the coming years.
Barasa noted that establishing large-scale nurseries requires adequate space as well as manpower to manage the seedlings, which is why temporary structures are being built to accommodate NYS personnel working at the site.
She said the officers will help run the nursery and support the seedling production process.
The move has, however, sparked concern among conservationists and some members of the public, particularly groups linked to the Friends of Karura Forest, who fear the clearing of trees could threaten the integrity of the protected urban forest.
Responding to the criticism, Barasa rejected claims that the government was destroying the forest, insisting that the initiative is meant to strengthen national tree-planting efforts rather than harm the environment.
She added that the wider tree-growing campaign seeks to mobilise communities across different ecosystems, including coastal regions, wetlands and arid lands, to grow and plant more trees as part of restoring degraded environments.
