KFS accuses Muthaiga Golf Club of illegally occupying Karura Forest

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 16 – The Kenya Forest Service has accused Muthaiga Golf Club of illegally occupying part of the gazetted Karura Forest, escalating a dispute over the ownership and boundaries of land on which the club’s golf course stands.

KFS says there is no evidence in its records proving that the club has a legal right to occupy the disputed section of the forest, despite the club’s claim that it holds a title deed.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the forest agency said Karura Forest covers approximately 1,044.1 hectares and was gazetted as a forest reserve in 1932 through Proclamation No. 44 of 1932.

The forest was later declared a Central Forest through Legal Notice No. 174 of May 20, 1964.

KFS said its records show that the land on which the golf club was established was surveyed and leased in the 1960s, with a plan showing the extent of the leased land issued in 1966.

“Several correspondences between the then Forest Department and the Commissioner of Lands articulate how land was surveyed, leased and construction of then Karura Golf Club commenced,” KFS said.

The agency said construction of the golf course subsequently began, with further changes to its boundaries approved in the 1970s.

“In 1974, the Chief Conservator of Forests wrote a letter to the Club confirming proposed alteration of the golf course boundary, after which the course would further extend north,” the statement said.

The dispute has now resurfaced over whether part of the land currently occupied by the club falls within the boundaries of the gazetted forest.

KFS said the club was invited to apply for a Forest Special Use Licence after the enactment of the Forest Conservation and Management Act, 2007, but did not honour the request.

The issue was raised again in 2021 when the club was invited to discuss what KFS described as its illegal occupation of Karura Forest Reserve.

“During which the Golf Club representatives claimed to hold a title deed,” KFS said.

The forest agency, however, says it has been unable to establish a legal basis for the club’s occupation.

“There no evidence of record to the effect proving legal occupation of the forest by the Club,” KFS said.

It added: “Historically, the Club has acknowledged through various correspondences in our possession, their occupation of a gazetted forest land and the recent claims of ownership may imply grabbing of public land by private interest.”

KFS has urged the club to engage with the agency formally to resolve the dispute in accordance with the Forest Conservation and Management Act.

“There is need for the Club to address the illegalities through formal engagement with Kenya Forest Service, in line with the Forest Conservation and Management Act,” the agency said.

The latest confrontation follows action by KFS officers at the golf club, which temporarily restricted access to part of the course.

The affected section covered the Front Nine, including holes two to nine, according to reports on the dispute. The club subsequently restored access as the two sides moved towards discussions over the contested land.

The dispute centres on the legal status of land that has been associated with the golf club for decades, with KFS relying on historical records to assert that part of the club’s current occupation lies within the gazetted forest.

Muthaiga Golf Club has maintained that it has documentation supporting its occupation of the land.

The club is expected to engage KFS over the matter, with the discussions likely to examine historical surveys, leases, title documents and the official boundaries of Karura Forest.

The dispute places renewed focus on the complex history of land around Karura, one of Nairobi’s most significant urban forests.

Karura was gazetted as a forest reserve in 1932, meaning that questions surrounding subsequent allocations, leases, surveys and changes to boundaries have implications beyond the golf club itself.