{"id":57651,"date":"2025-05-28T08:11:29","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T08:11:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/?p=57651"},"modified":"2025-06-03T09:52:39","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T09:52:39","slug":"public-participation-licensing-and-transparency-concerns-emerge-in-the-luxury-eco-lodge-development-in-ngong-road-forest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/press\/57651\/public-participation-licensing-and-transparency-concerns-emerge-in-the-luxury-eco-lodge-development-in-ngong-road-forest\/","title":{"rendered":"Public participation, licensing, and transparency concerns emerge in the luxury eco-lodge development in Ngong Road Forest"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns has-action-yellow-background-color has-background is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-africa-stateless\/2025\/05\/262fe9b7-photo-2025-05-28-20-46-57-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-57653\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-africa-stateless\/2025\/05\/262fe9b7-photo-2025-05-28-20-46-57-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-africa-stateless\/2025\/05\/262fe9b7-photo-2025-05-28-20-46-57-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-africa-stateless\/2025\/05\/262fe9b7-photo-2025-05-28-20-46-57-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-africa-stateless\/2025\/05\/262fe9b7-photo-2025-05-28-20-46-57-453x340.jpg 453w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-africa-stateless\/2025\/05\/262fe9b7-photo-2025-05-28-20-46-57.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">STOP THE ATTACK ON KENYA\u2019S FORESTS NOW!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Despite the government\u2019s promise of new trees, the simple fact is we cannot use seedlings to replant our way into a forest ecosystem.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-cta\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-grey-100-color has-red-500-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/pages.greenpeaceafrica.org\/stop-the-attack-on-kenyas-forests-now\">SIGN THE PETITION<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p><strong>Nairobi, Kenya <\/strong>\u2014<\/p>\n\n<p>Greenpeace Africa participated in the public stakeholders meeting convened by the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) on 27th May 2025, regarding the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizen.digital\/news\/kfs-suspends-construction-of-posh-camping-facility-inside-ngong-forest-n362953\">controversial construction<\/a> of a luxury eco-lodge in Ngong Road Forest. We attended this forum with a clear purpose: to demand transparency, accountability, and the protection of Kenya\u2019s forests from commercial exploitation disguised as development.<\/p>\n\n<p>What unfolded during this meeting was deeply troubling and confirms many of our concerns:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>KFS admitted that <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/citizentvkenya\/status\/1927427762182123786?s=46\">no public participation was conducted<\/a> before the project began. Kenyan law mandates full public involvement before approving major forest or land-use projects. Both the Constitution (Article 69(1)(d)) and the Forest Conservation &amp; Management Act (2016) emphasize public participation as a fundamental principle.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) consultant <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/citizentvkenya\/status\/1927427762182123786?s=46\">admitted<\/a> that no public participation was carried out and that the process proceeded <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/greenbeltmovmnt\/status\/1927364780668461100?s=46\">without securing a valid license<\/a> from the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA). Under&nbsp; the Environmental Management and Coordination and Management Act (EMCA), project proponents must submit a report to NEMA before commencing work and the law explicitly prohibits project implementation without an approved EIA. Moreover, no other agency may issue permits without a valid NEMA license.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>KFS <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/citizentvkenya\/status\/1927427762182123786?s=46\">stated <\/a>that they issued <em>Early Entry Permits<\/em> to the developer which are special permits that allow individuals or entities to access and begin certain activities on forest land before completing all legal and regulatory requirements. This is not only irregular but also directly contravenes provisions under the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenyalaw.org\/kl\/fileadmin\/pdfdownloads\/Acts\/EnvironmentalManagementandCo-ordinationAct_No8of1999.pdf\">Environmental Management and Coordination and Management Act<\/a>, the Forest Conservation Act and Kenya\u2019s Constitution, all of which mandate prior environmental clearance and public participation before any development on public forest land.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizen.digital\/news\/kfs-reveals-contractor-behind-ngong-forest-hotel-says-they-planned-to-build-11-cottages-n363514\">Konyon Ltd<\/a>, the private developer behind the eco-lodge, failed to show up to the meeting. Attempts to get answers from their consultants and KFS were futile, underscoring the opaque and unaccountable nature of this entire process.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Efforts by some Community Forest Association (CFA) officials to suggest that the public should accept that the project was a done deal, by stating that, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/citizentvkenya\/status\/1927427762182123786?s=46\">the investor will not go away<\/a>\u201d, were met with strong resistance from stakeholders, reaffirming that the public will not accept backdoor deals that put forest land at risk.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>Greenpeace Africa condemns the continued commodification and destruction of Kenya\u2019s forests under the pretense of development. Forests are not for sale. They are public commons and important ecosystems that must be preserved for present and future generations.<\/p>\n\n<p>We are calling for:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An immediate halt to the Ngong Road Forest eco-lodge project.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A full, independent investigation of the approval process and any breaches of law..<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The reinstatement and protection of all forest land already altered and threatened by this project.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Accountability for all individuals and institutions who bypassed due process..<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>This is not just about Ngong Road Forest, this is about defending every inch of public forest land across the country from the growing greed and political interference threatening our environmental future.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>We stand in full solidarity with the Green Belt Movement and commend them for bringing this issue to the forefront of national discourse. Their vigilance has been instrumental in exposing the disturbing realities behind this project. Greenpeace Africa is proud to stand with them in the ongoing fight to defend and protect Kenya\u2019s forests.<\/p>\n\n<p>We invite members of the public to join us by signing and sharing <a href=\"https:\/\/pages.greenpeaceafrica.org\/stop-the-attack-on-kenyas-forests-now\">our petition<\/a> demanding an end to the destruction of Kenya\u2019s forests and demanding strict protection for all gazetted and community forest areas.<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>ENDS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-beige-100-background-color has-background\"><strong>For media inquiries, please contact:<\/strong><br><br>Sherie Gakii,&nbsp;Communications and Storytelling Manager, Greenpeace Africa,&nbsp;sgakii@greenpeace.org,&nbsp;+254702776749<br><br>Greenpeace Africa Press Desk, pressdesk.africa@greenpeace.org<\/p>\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Greenpeace Africa participated in the public stakeholders meeting convened by the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) on 27th May 2025, regarding the controversial construction of a luxury eco-lodge in Ngong Road Forest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":57653,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"","p4_og_description":"","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"Forest Solutions","p4_local_project":"","p4_basket_name":"Forests","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[24,46],"p4-page-type":[14],"class_list":["post-57651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-protecttheenvironment","tag-forests","tag-greenpeaceafrica","p4-page-type-press"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57651"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57651\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57714,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57651\/revisions\/57714"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57651"},{"taxonomy":"p4-page-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/p4-page-type?post=57651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}