Religious Leaders Warn as Kenya’s Forests and Parks Come Under Fire
Posted by JIM MWANDA
Religious leaders demand a halt to development in Kenya’s forests and national parks, citing environmental destruction, corruption and weak accountability.
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In Summary
- Ufungamano Joint Forum of Religious Organisations has called for a moratorium on commercial, infrastructure and development projects in gazetted forests and national parks, citing environmental destruction, weak public participation and alleged institutional failures.
- The religious leaders have also raised concerns over corruption, riparian land encroachment, Nairobi’s water shortages, pollution and the alleged intimidation of environmental defenders and citizens demanding accountability.
Religious leaders under the Ufungamano Joint Forum of Religious Organisations (U-JFRO) have raised alarm over what they describe as the accelerating destruction of Kenya’s forests, national parks, rivers, wetlands and other critical environmental resources, calling for stronger government accountability and an immediate halt to development projects in protected areas.
In a press statement read yesterday, the forum said it was concerned about what it described as a concerted effort to introduce so-called development projects in critical forests and national parks, alongside the alleged harassment and intimidation of civil society organisations, environmental defenders and other citizens seeking to question such projects.
The religious leaders singled out Imenti Forest, Londiani Forest, Nairobi National Park and Ngong Road Forest as areas where they said environmental destruction has occurred in recent months. They also raised concerns over reported plans for a highway through the Aberdares, which they described as a critical water tower.
According to U-JFRO, the controversy goes beyond individual projects and raises broader questions about the ability and willingness of government institutions responsible for environmental protection to discharge their mandates. The forum accused some institutions of supporting projects that, in its view, undermine environmental laws and policies while failing to ensure genuine public participation.
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The religious organisations further expressed concern over what they described as changes to environmental laws that could weaken existing safeguards. They claimed recent amendments to the Forest Act have created room for infrastructure and public utilities in protected forests with limited scrutiny, while proposed changes to wildlife and mining legislation could permit mining activities in national parks.
The forum also raised concerns about how public participation and peaceful civic action have allegedly been handled in environmental disputes. It cited events at Imenti Forest, where it alleged that political mobilisation was used to disrupt a public participation exercise, as well as protests concerning Nairobi National Park that it said were met with teargas and arrests.
U-JFRO further alleged that a court-mandated site visit at Nairobi National Park was blocked by armed and masked Kenya Wildlife Service personnel. The religious leaders said such incidents raise fundamental concerns about the rule of law, transparency and the ability of citizens to hold public institutions accountable.
The forum is calling for a moratorium on commercial, infrastructure and development projects in all gazetted forests and national parks in Kenya until concerns surrounding environmental protection, legality and public participation are addressed.
It specifically wants plans for an expanded animal orphanage and parking lot in Nairobi National Park shelved, while also calling for the abandonment of plans for a road and associated infrastructure in Ngong Road Forest linked to the Talanta Stadium and Bomas International Convention Centre.
The religious leaders are also asking the government to reconsider plans for a highway through the Aberdares, as well as proposals involving a golf course, state lodge and airstrip in Imenti Forest.
Beyond protected forests and national parks, U-JFRO has linked Kenya’s environmental crisis to rapid urban development and what it describes as widespread impunity. The forum pointed to the construction of high-rise buildings in Nairobi, including developments it said have taken place along riverbanks and riparian areas while relevant authorities allegedly fail to enforce environmental laws and county by-laws.
The religious organisations warned that the expansion of developments is occurring against a backdrop of inadequate water supply, power outages, deteriorating roads, traffic congestion, poor drainage and insufficient sewerage infrastructure. They also questioned the sustainability of increasing reliance on boreholes by high-rise developments in a city where public water supply remains inadequate.
The forum warned that continued extraction of underground water could create another environmental crisis if groundwater resources are depleted without adequate safeguards and management.
Corruption and weak governance also featured prominently in the statement. U-JFRO argued that corruption, lack of transparency and poor governance have contributed to the degradation of forests, national parks, rivers, wetlands and other environmental resources, with consequences extending to water quality, food production, public health and livelihoods.
The religious leaders said degradation of riparian areas and wetlands has contributed to flooding, while sewage and industrial waste continue to contaminate rivers used for drinking water and irrigation. They also raised concerns about the continued use of toxic pesticides and other chemicals, including substances they said have been banned either in Kenya or in countries where they originate.
U-JFRO said the scale of the environmental crisis points to failures within government institutions tasked with protecting the environment, and warned that continued degradation would transfer the costs of poor environmental governance to future generations.
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The religious leaders urged the government to stop what they described as the destruction of Kenya’s God-given natural resources and called for a renewed commitment to transparency, integrity, public participation and environmental protection.
They also demanded that the government publicly reaffirm Kenyans’ constitutional rights to seek transparency in government projects, hold public institutions to account and demonstrate and picket lawfully. At the same time, they urged authorities to publicly denounce and desist from intimidation of civil society organisations, active citizens and environmental defenders.
