Former Chief Justice David Maraga has slammed President William Ruto's administration over the recent changes in Karura forest affecting the entrance fee, stressing that they are not in line with the Constitution.
In a statement on Saturday, August 30, Maraga claimed that the increase in the entrance fee in the forest was made without prior public participation and contravened Article 10 of the Constitution.
Furthermore, Maraga faulted the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) for directing visitors to make payments through the eCitizen platform, which has been put under serious scrutiny by the Auditor General.
Maraga warned that the sudden shift would, in turn, endanger the city's most valued green spaces and reverse the progress that was made in projecting the forest as an accessible destination for all Kenyans.
"The lack of public participation regarding the change in the management of Karura Forest is a clear violation of Article 10 of the Constitution," Maraga stated.
"The increase in entrance fees and the directive to use the questionable eCitizen, a platform which the Auditor General has raised serious concerns about, puts into question the true intentions of the move by the Kenya Forest Service," he added.
Maraga has assured that he will be at the vanguard of protecting the Constitution as well as the environment to ensure that such decisions are reversed.
"The continued violation of the Constitution is further confirmation that President Ruto has no regard for the rule of law, despite only 3 days ago purporting to lead in the commemoration of Katiba Day," Maraga said.
"Saying one thing and doing the opposite is duplicitous leadership that has come to characterise the current presidency. It is hurting our people, our resources, and our efforts in nation-building," he added.
The concern by the former CJ comes just a day after KFS assured visitors seeking to enter the forest of only one-minute wait times following the shift to eCitizen payment.
In a statement on Saturday, August 30, Chief Conservator of Forests Alex Lemarkoko said that the change in mode of payment was the only change in the forest and all other aspects of forest management would remain the same.
KFS further assured that the shift to the platform would not affect visitors with an annual pass, noting that they would be free to use them till their expiry.
“Chief Conservator of Forests Alex Lemarkoko has assured Karuta Forest visitors and service providers that the new payment system will not impact their positive experience. Lemarkoko visited the forest at dawn to oversee the transition to the new platform and interact with visitors, service providers, scouts, and KFS teams,” KFS noted.
“Visitors with annual passes can continue to use them until they expire. The new payment options are phone and card, with an average wait time of only one minute,” KFS added.
