KFS calls for public participation on the controversial project being put up in protected forest

The Kenya Forest Service has called for public participation on the controversial construction of an airstrip and other infrastructure inside a gazetted forest in Meru county.

In a public notice published in sections of the media, KFS said the proposed airstrip and ancillary infrastructure will occupy approximately 27 acres.

“The Kenya Forest Service proposes to construct an airstrip and ancillary infrastructure at Upper Imenti Forest (Meru Forest Station) to enhance aviation access for forest management, emergency response and regional economic development,” KFS said.

It said preliminary site surveys and wind assessments had found the proposed site suitable for the project.

It said the site is characterised by sparse vegetation cover and is therefore expected to result in minimal ecological disruption.

KFS has invited members of the public and other stakeholders to submit their views, comments, concerns and recommendations regarding the proposed construction of the airstrip, including the runway, apron and ancillary infrastructure.

It said the exercise is in compliance with the Constitution of Kenya, relevant statutory laws, regulations and guidelines on public participation.

Stakeholders have been asked to submit their written views to the County Forest Conservator's office in Meru town.

They can also download the public participation questionnaire from the KFS website, www.kenyaforestservice.org, and submit it to the county office in Meru or email it to [email protected].

“Your comments and submissions will be treated with the utmost confidentiality and should be received on or before July 21, 2026,” KFS said.

The controversial project has sparked protests from conservation organisations, which have termed it destructive to the forest resource.

An Environment and Land Court in Meru has already issued a third conservatory order stopping the ongoing project following a petition by Pan African Climate Justice Alliance and Meru Forest Conservation Forum.

Rhino Ark Charitable Trust is among the organisations that have rejected the project.

Rhino Ark is a key stakeholder in the conservation of the Mt Kenya forest ecosystem, which includes the Upper Imenti Forest Reserve and the Lower Imenti Forest Reserve.

Over the past 14 years, the Trust has invested more than Sh1 billion in constructing 320 kilometres of perimeter electric fencing around the Mt Kenya forests to mitigate human-wildlife conflict and reduce illegal extraction of forest resources.

This includes 54 kilometres of electric fencing around the Upper and part of the Lower Imenti forest reserves.

The electric fence has effectively reduced human-wildlife conflict in the Imenti forests. Before its construction, wildlife killed an average of five people from neighbouring communities every year.

Given the critical importance of the Mt Kenya ecosystem, the entire Mt Kenya Forest Reserve, together with the Upper Imenti Forest Reserve, Lower Imenti Forest Reserve and Thunguru Hill Forest Reserve, was gazetted as a National Reserve on  July 24, 2000 through Legal Notice No. 93 of 2000 to “ensure maximum protection of the valuable resources in the area”.

The Trust has given several reasons why the project should not be allowed.

In a letter to the National Environment Management Authority, the Trust said the project would affect water resources because Mt Kenya is one of Kenya's five main water towers.

The others are the Aberdare Range, Mau Complex, Cherangani Hills and Mt Elgon, which together provide most of the country's water.

The Trust said the Upper Imenti Forest Reserve lies on the hydrological divide between the Tana and Ewaso Nyiro catchments.

It also warned the project would affect biodiversity. The Mt Kenya forest ecosystem hosts rich biological diversity in both habitats and species, particularly plant species.

The Trust said a comprehensive study carried out between February 1992 and August 1994 found that the ecosystem hosts 882 plant species, subspecies and varieties belonging to 479 genera and 146 families.

It said Mt Kenya has 81 endemic plant species and a wide variety of wildlife.

“Six species of large mammal of international conservation interest occur within the Mt Kenya forests – elephant (Loxodonta africana), black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), leopard (Panthera pardus), giant forest hog (Hylochoerus meinertzhageni), bongo (Tragelaphus euryceros isaacii), black-fronted duiker (Cephalephus nigrifrons hooki).”

The Trust said about 12 species of ungulates, including bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus), suni (Neotragus moschatus), red duiker (Cephalophus harveyi), grey duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia altivallis), defassa waterbuck (Kobus ellipsi prymnus), mountain reedbuck (Redunca fulvorufula) and Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer), are also found in the ecosystem.

Various primates also occur, including the black-and-white colobus (Colobus guereza), Sykes monkey (Cercopithecus mitis) and olive baboon (Papio anubis).

Mt Kenya is also an important bird area.

According to the Trust, 53 of Kenya's 67 African highland biome bird species, at least 35 forest specialist species and six of the eight species found in the Kenyan Mountains Endemic Bird Area occur in the Mt Kenya ecosystem.

Rhino Ark said two separate elephant censuses conducted in 2016 and 2020 by the Wildlife Conservation Society, Kenya Wildlife Service, Rhino Ark, Mount Kenya Trust and the Bongo Surveillance Project established that Mt Kenya hosts between 1,900 and 2,600 elephants.

“The studies also revealed that during the dry season, the Upper Imenti Forest has the highest density of elephants. This is exactly where the airstrip is being constructed.”

The Trust said the airstrip under construction is near a known elephant maternity area.

It said the Lower and Upper Imenti forest reserves form the central section of the wildlife corridor linking conservation areas in the north, such as Shaba National Reserve, with Mt Kenya.

The Trust further said no public consultations had been held on the airstrip project, as required by the constitution and that no Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) study had been conducted as required by law.

The Trust also said there is an alternative existing airstrip, Gaitu Airstrip, 14 kilometres southeast of Meru town, which can be upgraded.

INSTANT ANALYSIS

Public participation is intended to shape decisions before implementation, not after works have begun or legal disputes have emerged. The consultation now gives KFS an opportunity to demonstrate transparency and address concerns over environmental impacts, legal compliance and alternative sites. However, critics are likely to question whether the exercise is a genuine attempt to influence the project's future or simply a procedural step to satisfy legal requirements.