NAIROBI, Kenya — Operations at Karura Forest could face severe disruption following a sudden directive from the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) that all gate entry, parking, and service payments must now be made exclusively through the government’s eCitizen platform.
The announcement of the shift to eCitizen, made by KFS on social media in the early hours of August 28, took effect immediately.
The Friends of Karura Forest (FKF), a community trust that has co-managed the forest for over a decade, expressed concern that they were neither consulted nor notified prior to the decision.
In a statement, FKF warned that the move effectively transfers all forest revenue to the government, leaving the trust without funds to pay staff salaries, service providers, and and contractors.
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“We expect this unilateral decision by KFS to severely disrupt all forest operations,” FKF said. “We apologize for any inconvenience to our visitors and encourage inquiries or complaints to be directed to KFS.”
While the Kenya Forest Service argues that the policy shift is designed to improve transparency and curb revenue leakages, conservation groups like FKF contend that the abrupt transition undermines established partnerships and may jeopardize the sustainable management of public forests.
It remains unclear how the funds collected through eCitizen will be allocated back to support forest operations or if FKF will continue to play a role in day-to-day management.