{"id":58930,"date":"2025-09-19T11:39:49","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T11:39:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/?p=58930"},"modified":"2025-09-23T09:41:34","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T09:41:34","slug":"when-will-it-end-kenyas-imenti-forest-now-under-threat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/blog\/58930\/when-will-it-end-kenyas-imenti-forest-now-under-threat\/","title":{"rendered":"When will it end? Kenya\u2019s Imenti Forest now under threat"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It is exhausting<\/strong> to wake up, week after week, to yet another story of forest land<\/strong> being carved away in the name of \u201cdevelopment.<\/strong>\u201d Today it is Imenti Forest<\/strong> in Meru County<\/strong>, a gazetted public forest that sustains biodiversity, provides water, and supports livelihoods. Reports now suggest that 50 acres<\/strong> are being considered for a State Lodge<\/strong><\/a>, golf course, and airstrip<\/strong>. What makes this particularly troubling is that the directive is said to have come from the very top: President William Ruto<\/strong> himself, during a meeting with Meru leaders.<\/p>\n\n

This is not the first time Kenyans have been here. From Karura to Mau, Aberdare to Ngong Road and Suam, citizens have fought to protect forests<\/strong> from encroachment disguised as progress.<\/strong> Each time, we are promised tree planting campaigns, pledges of billions of seedlings, and speeches about climate action. Yet the reality remains the same: while new trees are promised, existing forests are quietly chipped away<\/strong>. It is a double-speak that has become all too familiar, and Kenyans are tired of it<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

Imenti Forest<\/strong> – a critical water catchment, a home for elephants and countless species, and a source of income for local communities through eco-tourism, honey harvesting, and agriculture. To hive off parts of it for luxury projects is not only a violation of the Forest Conservation and Management Act and the Constitution, but also a betrayal of public trust. Forests are not empty land waiting for development<\/strong>; they are living systems that protect us all from drought, floods, and the escalating climate crisis.<\/p>\n\n

What Kenyans demand now is simple. First, an immediate halt<\/strong> to any plans to excise Imenti Forest<\/strong>. Second, full transparency<\/strong>: every directive, contract, and environmental impact assessment<\/strong> must be made public. Third, independent investigations<\/strong> into how gazetted forests<\/strong> keep ending up on the chopping block for private <\/strong>or prestige projects<\/strong>. Finally, a renewed commitment to protect what already exists<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

\n

Planting 15 billion trees means little if, at the same time, the government is cutting down the forests that anchor our survival.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

The fight for Imenti is not isolated. It is part of a disturbing pattern<\/strong> where forests promised to the people are surrendered to greed<\/strong>. Each time, it is communities, civil society, and citizens who are forced to defend them. Kenyans are weary of this endless cycle. Protecting forests should not be a battle waged over and over; it should be the government\u2019s first duty<\/strong>.Imenti must remain intact. Our forests are not bargaining chips<\/strong>, not playgrounds for the powerful<\/strong>, and not land for sale<\/strong>. They are our inheritance, our protection, and our future. And they must be defended, not just in words, but in action<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n \t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tStop the attack on Kenya’s forests now!\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Iconic Kenyan forests making up almost 10 times the size of Nairobi are under threat.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t \n Get Involved\n <\/a>\n \t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/section>\n\t\n

\n
\n

Related Posts<\/h2>\n\n\n
  • See all posts<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n