The Environment and Land Court (ELC) has denied the Kenya National Highways Authority's (KENHA) plea to acquire 51.64 hectares of Karura Forest land for road expansion.
KENHA had requested to acquire the forest land to facilitate the expansion of the Kiambu Road, as licensed to KENHA by the Kenya Forest Services.
The ruling issued on August 14 was revealed by the Green Belt Movement (GBM), which was among the conservationists, civil society groups, and residents who have long opposed the encroachment of Karura Forest, one of Nairobi’s green spaces.
"The ELC Court has ruled that only 0.1233 hectares of Karura Forest can be touched in the expansion of Kiambu Road and not 51.64 acres as licensed to KENHA by KFS," the statement by the Green Belt Movement read in part.
Green Belt also reported that two special user licences issued by KFS in the forest were also revoked for lack of public participation.
The ruling follows an update on a temporary injunction that had blocked the government from encroaching on the forest in December 2024.
In December, an ELC judge ruled that all planned activities, including the construction of a recreational facility, an ablution block, and the dualling of Kiambu Road, must be halted until the case is fully heard and determined.
The Kiambu Road dualling project was part of a government infrastructure plan aimed at easing traffic congestion in Nairobi.
The project involved expanding the road through Karura Forest, a protected urban forest reserve.
Initially, 51.64 hectares of the forest land were licensed to the KENHA by the KFS for this expansion. The GBM then filed a petition in December, challenging the legality of the land allocation and the lack of public participation.
To stress how harmful to the ecosystem the encroachment would be, GBM clarified that the 51.64 acres of land were equivalent to 28 standard football pitches.
The GBM, championed by the environmentalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, has been vocal in championing environmental conservation. They have fought against many moves endangering green spaces in the country.
