• Karura forest is located in the periphery of Nairobi city. At 2,572 acres, it is one of the largest urban gazetted forests in the world.
• The forest contains nearly all the 605 species of wildlife found in Nairobi including three types of antelope and is managed by the Kenya Forest Service.
Image: COURTESY
The memory of environmental activist and Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai is set to live on at Karura forest.
Karura forest where she took her fierce activism protecting it for posterity is set to be renamed after her.
The government is set to rename the forest in recognition of her deep commitment to the environment.
On Tuesday, officials from the Environment ministry led by CS Keriako Tobiko and the National Assembly Environmental Committee deliberated on the move.
The deliberations came after the Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan petitioned the National Assembly to recognise the critical role Wangari Maathai played in conserving Kenya’s natural resources.
Hassan said Maathai was instrumental in salvaging Karura forest from the existential threat of landgrabbers, thereby safeguarding its preservation and conservation for current and future generations.
“That, on account of Maathai’s tireless efforts and dedication, Karura forest is today a thriving natural endowment that serves as a home to many animals and plant varieties.
"It also provides Appropriations-in-Aid revenue for the government, through fees obtained for its therapeutic benefits that attract thousands of runners, walkers, cyclists, campers and tourists every year,” Hassan said.
Hassan said Maathai’s unmatched sacrifices, selflessness and courage led to the preservation, conservation and proper management of other forests, wetlands, public parks and natural resources in the country.
Her efforts are a key driver behind the government’s environmental agenda of attaining a minimum of 10 per cent forest cover in the country.
Already, one road and an Institute have been named after her.
These include Nairobi Forest Road that was renamed Wangari Maathai Road and the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies at the University of Nairobi.
Environment Committee chairman Kareke Mbiuki told the Star the committee fully supports the move.
The Maara MP said the executive arm of the government supported the idea following the engagements.
“They have no objection. The government is excited to honour Wangari Maathai. As a committee, we will conclude the petition recommending the same.”
This was after Tobiko supported the move.
“The ministry agrees with the Petition Prayer to have Karura forest renamed in honour of Wangari Maathai.
"To this end, in recognition of constitutional and legal requirements for due process and public participation, there is need for the ministry to consult further with Cabinet and engage Kenyans in public participation before this can be done,” Tobiko said.
The Forest Act gazetted the forest as Karura and any variation will mean that the law is amended.
Mbiuki said the committee wanted to know if the executive was comfortable with the move.
He said the committee will have dealt with the petition by next week in order to allow the Ministry of Environment to amend the Forest Act 2016 and other regulations on forest resources in the country.
“You cannot wake up and change the name of the forest,” he said.
Mbiuki said the committee is keen to have the whole process completed by December as it does not expect any objection from the public participation exercise.
A fierce environmental activist, Maathai helped to save Kenya’s natural resources from plunder.
Maathai’s fight against the destruction of natural resources has won her many accolades.
In 2004 for instance, she won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
A Wangari Maathai day is commemorated every March 3 in conjunction with the Africa Environment day in her honour.
It is celebrated as a tribute to Maathai who died on September 25, 2011, aged 71 after a battle with ovarian cancer.
Memorial ceremonies were held in Kenya, New York, San Francisco and London.
She was born in Nyeri in 1940.
Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement in 1977.
The movement sought to respond to the needs of rural Kenyan women who reported that their streams were drying up, their food supply was less secure and they had to walk further to get firewood for fuel and fencing.
She authored four books: The Green Belt Movement; Unbowed: A Memoir; The Challenge for Africa; and Replenishing the Earth.
Karura forest is located in the periphery of Nairobi city. At 2,572 acres, it is one of the largest gazetted urban forests in the world.
The forest contains nearly all the 605 species of wildlife found in Nairobi including three types of antelope. It is managed by Kenya Forest Service.
It is a 20-minute drive from the Nairobi CBD and can be accessed from two gates, one along Kiambu Road and the other along Limuru Road.
For Kenyan citizens, the Friends of Karura, who manage the forest, charge an entry fee of Sh100 for adults and Sh50 for children.
For citizens who are classified as non-citizens living in Kenya, the forest entrance fee is Sh200 for adults and Sh100 for children.
Whereas for non-residents, the forest entrance fee is Sh600 for adults and Sh300 for children.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)