Dear Hon CS, Dr. Deborah Barasa,

As someone who has taken up the role of Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry in Kenya, with "a passion to improve the quality of life and health outcomes for all people", we, the undersigned, call on you to urgently join us to protect Karura Forest – ‘The People’s Forest’.

The hugely successful partnership between Friends of Karura Forest Community Forest Association (FKF-CFA) and Kenya Forest Service, which has brought about a vast improvement in the quality of lives of hundreds of thousands of people, is in peril. 

Just 15 years ago, Karura Forest was a dangerous and lawless place where dead bodies were regularly found and few dared to enter.

Thanks to the bold leadership of our Nobel Laureate, Wangari Maathai and the courage of the people, Karura was saved through community action. This led to the 2005 Forests Act, enabling communities to come together to co-manage the forest.

The Friends of Karura Forest Community Forest Association (FKF-CFA) was established in 2009 and has since become a leading model for other Community Forest Associations (CFAs) across Kenya. Its unique, formalised partnership with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) showcases how local communities can play a central role in managing and protecting forest resources for the benefit of both people and the environment. This collaborative approach has transformed Karura Forest into one of Kenya’s most remarkable environmental success stories.

Today Karura Forest is a sanctuary in the heart of the capital city, visited by over 75,000 people every month, and providing hundreds livelihoods where there were none. 

Why the Current Model Works:

Under the legally binding Joint Management Agreement which runs to 2041, all revenue generated in Karura Forest is reinvested directly into maintaining the forest, paying the salaries of those who keep both it and those who visit it safe, protecting wildlife, supporting environmental education, and providing dignified livelihoods to the surrounding disadvantaged communities. 

This joint FKF-CFA & KFS model has a jointly managed bank account which ensures every shilling is accounted for and reinvested into the forest ensuring transparency and accountability.

This model has been celebrated by your predecessors and world leaders from across the globe and has resulted in both national and international investment into Kenya.  

Karura was saved by a model that works - and people who care-  including a FKF-CFA Board of committed unpaid volunteers.  

What's at risk ?

The move to redirect all forest-generated income to the national government will:

• Reduce forest security
• Negatively impact a thriving and healthy relationship between the forest and the local community
• Weaken local accountability and transparency
• Sever the direct connection between forest income and forest care
• Reverse years of community-driven conservation progress             

We, the undersigned, urge the CS Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry to:

1. Uphold the terms of the current legal Joint Management Agreement between FKF-CFA and KFS running to 2041
2. Allow Karura Forest to retain and invest the revenue it raises for essential running costs and projects to improve the forest, as it has done so successfully for over 15 years.
3. Guarantee there will be no encroachment or irregular development in Karura - The People's Forest. 

For those who love 'The People's Forest' the way it has been managed since 2009 please sign this petition.