Residents seek Ngong Forest boundary variation
Real Estate
By
Peter Muiruri
| Nov 05, 2026
Over 6,000 households and government institutions in Lang'ata have urged Parliament to endorse the Ngong Road Forest boundary variation and complete the legal process for degazettement of 34 acres of the forest.
This follows a resolution passed by more than 650 individuals and representatives of organisations who attended a two-day public participation forum held in October at St Michaels Catholic Church in Mugumo-ini ward, Langata constituency.
The resolution paves the way for further development of residential estates, government and private institutions that already exist in the area, including St Mary’s Hospital, Bomas of Kenya, Lang’ata Women’s Prison, Police Dog Unit and Kenya Broadcasting Corporation. Others are Wildlife Clubs of Kenya and the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, ICIPE.
The process follows the National Assembly 2020 Report on a petition regarding alleged demolition of houses and repossession of land within Lang’ata.
“The House recommended that the issue be resolved through Section 34 of the Forest Conservation and Management Act, 2016 and that the ministry and residents work towards peaceful coexistence,” said the Assistant Director of Forest Management and Conservation, Abdikarim Mohammed.
According to the Deputy County Commissioner for Lang’ata, Walter Katono, the adjacent Sunvalley I, II and Royal Park estates were lawfully excised, while the remaining 34 acres, including KMA Estate, Lang’ata Gardens, Lang’ata View, Shalom, St Mary's Hospital and Forest Edge View were not properly excised.
“This forum gives us a constructive starting point for dialogue to follow proper procedure to provide a solution that considers the interests of all concerned,” he said.
Public participation regulations stipulate that any person may petition the National Assembly for variation, revocation of boundaries of a public forest or revocation of the registration of a public forest or a portion of a public forest.
Proponents of the variation highlighted the uncertainty that hangs over the 6,000 households that have lived in the estates for over 20 years.
Among the affected residents is the Seme Member of the National Assembly, Dr James Nyikal, whose house sits on KMA estate in Lang'ata. “As young doctors graduating back in 1981, we founded a cooperative society and innocently looked for a parcel of land to build our homes. Like my neighbouring estates, we are in pursuit of what we believe are our rightful shelters,” he said.
The proponents, led by the Steering Committee chairman Robert Mutiso, contested that the residents found themselves in a predicament they were not aware of and should not be penalised for lawful investment.
He said the development in the area has established one of the most pleasant, safe and secure districts in Nairobi.
“We are where we are not because we wanted to be at loggerheads with anyone. We followed the due process of acquisition. Some built while others took mortgages paid back over many years. Many of us are now retirees and settled in our homes in an area where many businesses are benefiting from our consumption of their merchandise, food and provisions,” said Mutiso.
Clare Mwangi, a resident, said it is disheartening to find that in spite of her family’s transaction to buy a house advised by due diligence and supported by independent verification by a reputable mortgage financier, she was surprised when told her Lang’ata Gardens home sits on Ngong Forest land.
“Authorities need to come clear on what transpired because, as far as we know, we followed the law to the letter, trusting that the estate was developed lawfully. Besides, if my family were to be evicted today to find alternative shelter elsewhere, what certainty is there that we shall not again be told we are living in yet another forest?” she asked.
The Chairman of Ngong Road Forest Association, Simon Kage, cautioned against using the forest boundary variation process as a precedent to degazettement of encroached land. “When we say an action is negatively impacting the forest, we are seen as being anti-government and anti-community. It would be unfortunate if what we pass today will be used to legalise other situations that are similar but not the same as what we are discussing. Let us not set a precedent that when an illegality happens, we legalise it by another process,” he said.
Nairobi West Sub-county Senior Assistant County Commissioner Eliud Waweru said the proponents of the boundary variation were seeking to regularise what should have been done before development of the considered section of the forest.
“We have critical government infrastructure like the Bomas of Kenya, Police Dog Unit and the Women’s correctional facility which, together with residential investments, amount to trillions of shillings,” he said.
The Environmental and Social Impact Assessment report will be forwarded to the Principal Secretary at the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry for review and transmission to Parliament for consideration.