Stop destruction of Imenti Forest

Sophia Karamuta, a fence attendant at Imenti forest in Meru County. Karamuta and 156 other fence attendants are in charge of patrolling the electric fence to ensure elephants do not break out to raid farms.[Files, Standard]

Despite valid concerns by citizens and conservationists and a court order, the construction of a State lodge inside Imenti Forest, Meru County, is ongoing. This is overt disrespect of not only a court order but also the people.

Kenya is struggling to meet its forest cover targets at a time climate change is ravaging livelihoods across the country. Yet despite this, President William Ruto's administration has chosen this moment to fell mature trees in the forest to make way for a State lodge, an airstrip and a golf course. 

It is unacceptable that this should be prioritised over a protected ecosystem, and worse that a court order has been contemptuously disregarded in the process. Men armed with power saws, bulldozers and heavy machinery descended on Imenti Forest near Kithoka Primary School, felling mature trees and clearing bushes under tight security from Kenya Forest Service rangers despite conservatory orders issued by the Meru Environment and Land Court.

When a government deploys rangers, not to protect a forest, but to prevent journalists from witnessing its destruction, it speaks volumes about the sincerity of its conservation pledges. Imenti Forest covers about 32,000 acres and serves as a critical migratory corridor and breeding ground for elephants, besides being a primary water catchment. Kenya has repeatedly committed to expanding forest cover as a bulwark against climate change. Hacking into a gazetted forest to erect luxury presidential infrastructure is a direct contradiction of those commitments.

The Imenti Development Forum has correctly pointed out that Sagana State Lodge is a short helicopter flight from Meru. With modern aviation, the President can reach any corner of Kenya within the hour. State lodges are relics of an era when road infrastructure was rudimentary and flights were a luxury. That era has long passed.

A State that normalises contempt for judicial authority plants a dangerous seed. Our forests, our courts, and our Constitution deserve better.

Kenyans have seen this pattern before in Karura and Ngong Road Forests, including the Mau Complex. Each time, the same promises of investment and economic growth are made. Each time, it is the forest that pays the price. The government must halt this project, obey the court order, and identify an alternative site.