Kenya Forest Service has confirmed that the changes made at Karura Forest services will not be reversed.
Through a statement, KFS noted that there is ongoing petition to reverse the changes with allegations of the ‘ forest becoming an insecure area and there are chances of grabbing and encroachment.’
“Kenya Forest Service has noted a petition doing rounds online, urging the public to sign up and support a reverse to recent changes to direct all gate charges and other fees to be made through the eCitizen platform.
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KFS explains the latest increase in entry fees at Karura Forest
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Kenya Forest Service defends alleged deforestation of Karura Forest
The petition is urging the public to push for a return to the previous system whereby the Community Forest Association was collecting all revenue and utilizing it to fund management of the forest. The petition further alleges there is danger of Karura forest becoming an insecure area and there are chances of grabbing and encroachment,” said KFS
According to KFS, allegations of job losses are false and that the management of CFA has urged employees to boycott operations until the gains are reversed.
Despite the allegations, visitors are still flocking the forest and continue making payment through the e-Citizen platform.
The introduction of e-Citizen payments has caused a discussion on the future of the forest with many Kenyans foreseeing dwindling services.
They also complained about the increased charges attributed to the payment of convenience fee on the platform.
