Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has formally accused the Friends of Karura Forest (FKF) of “embezzlement of public funds”, citing a fresh ministry audit that allegedly uncovered manipulated revenue, hidden accounts and missing budgets.
Chief Conservator Alex Lemarkoko levelled the charges on the night of Tuesday, during Citizen TV’s ‘The Explainer’.
“An audit was carried out by our ministry, and a number of issues were unveiled. You will be shocked at the kind of embezzlement of funds by FKF,” he told the host.
Lemarkoko said the trust has repeatedly failed to file certified accounts, work plans or bank statements to the KFS Board a “serious deviation” from the 20-year co-management agreement signed in 2009.
He added: “The conclusion is that although we are in agreement as two parties, one party is frustrating the contract.” The accusations land amid a court fight over KFS’s decision to route all visitor and parking fees through the eCitizen platform, a move FKF argues undermines its day-to-day role.
Lemarkoko insisted the switch is merely a cashless upgrade and does not dissolve the joint model. “All staff will continue to work, and KFS will facilitate that through the joint account.”
On social-media uproar over a fresh stretch of tarmac inside Karura, the conservator said the 3.2 km of black-top is confined to the administrative compound, not the wider woodland.
“We have a headquarters inside the forest with staff quarters, the canteen and the information centre. One of our stakeholders funded the 3.2 km link roads within that zone. It’s not cutting through the forest itself,” he explained. Lemarkoko also dismissed claims that parts of Karura are being grabbed, pointing to Section 34 of the Forest Conservation and Management Act.
“The process for altering a boundary is so stringent that grabbing is practically impossible today,” he said.
