About the NRFA
NGONG ROAD FOREST
ASSOCIATION
In the past, different parts of the Ngong Road Forest have been managed by different community associations; the most active of which has been the Ngong Road Forest Sanctuary Trust which established a set of popular nature trails and the highly respected, Imre Loefler Education Centre.
In response to the 2005 Forest Act, a Community Forest Association (CFA) was established called the Ngong Road Forest Association (NRFA). NRFA recently amalgamated with the Ngong Road Forest Sanctuary Trust. Implementation of the plan to save the Ngong Road Forest is being led by the NRFA, in partnership with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS).
Plans
PLANS
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The vision of the plan is to make Ngong Road Forest safe and secure, and a world class example of sustainable forest management and conservation.
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The goal is to achieve and sustain a well and safe conserved Ngong Forest through stakeholder’s participation for provision of goods and services for the city residents.
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The plan is to moderate the participation of stakeholders, besides ensuring that the implementation leads to sustainable management of the forest.
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The Forest has been divided into five zones as it is divided by the roads crossing the forest.
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The Participatory Forest Management Plan 2024 – 2029 is the second generation of PFMP for Ngong Road forest, and a clear indication of the commitment of the CFA and that of KFS in engaging in Participatory Forest Management. The PFMP was prepared in an extensively consultative process involving the community and stakeholders.
Introduction
If a city’s skyscrapers embody the pursuit of commerce, its green spaces speak of something more reflective.
A chance to pause and think afresh, to step away from the rough and tumble of city life and move forward, renewed.
Nairobi is a city growing at an extraordinary pace. In 1900, the year of its formal municipal foundation, human settlement crouched on the edge of a patchwork of open grassland, forest and woodland swamp. Today, its 4 million strong urban population jostles for space and oxygen in what has become East Africa’s single largest conurbation. A lack of housing provision has seen the ballooning of informal settlements and little by little, ancient forest makes way for concrete.
One of the few places offering respite is the Karura Forest to the north of the city. During the 1990s, it came under threat from developers and was fiercely defended. Today, it is a thriving urban forest attracting families, joggers, hikers, mountain bikers and visitors searching for a slice of peace and quiet.
The rehabilitation of Karura Forest stands as an example of what can be done through collective action and the implementation of a protective infrastructure that safeguards and sustains natural habitats.
Now that energy and dedication are needed anew. In Western Nairobi, the 1,224 hectare Ngong Road Forest is in peril. Illegal logging and encroachment by developers are depleting the forest’s resources, while the unsecured, unlit forest interior has become a hotbed for violent crime.
The Ngong Road Forest demands urgent and wholesale attention. It too has the potential to become a safe, self-sustaining and inclusive green space and a world- class example of sustainable forest management. But we must act now.
The good news is there is a plan in place – a vision to transform the Ngong Road Forest just like Karura before it. This document outlines what needs to be done and how you can help.
Mandate and Membership
Mandate of the Ngong Road Forest Association
The mandate of the Ngong Road Forest Association is to:
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Promote the sustainable development of the forest for climate amelioration, soil and water and biodiversity conservation
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Carry out inventories and evaluation of forest resources and their potential utilisation, in order to generate accurate information for decision making
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Empower local communities to manage the forest through Community Forest Associations
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Support forest management which embraces preservation of religious and cultural sites, traditional medical sources, water catchments and habitats for endemic and threatened species of flora and fauna
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Promote good governance in the forest sector
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Ensure that Ngong Road Forest Reserve being largely indigenous remains served
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Determine and appropriate the status of the forest, and take restoration measures
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Promote participatory forest management approaches to ensure the participation of communities and other stakeholders in the management of Ngong Road Forest Reserve
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Ensure that users benefiting from the forest contribute to the conservation and management through the user pay principle
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Promote insect farming and ensure other sustainable, non-harmful uses of forest are enabled
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Ensure that forest plantations are efficiently managed and operated on a commercial basis
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Ensure that degraded and over exploited areas are rehabilitated by community associations with government support
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Manage the existing Wetlands by de- silting and removal of invasive species
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Develop recreation and ecotourism facilities
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Liberalise seedlings production Promote value added forest products Apply forestry research findings
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Support public awareness creation with regard to forest conservation management and utilisation
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Protect traditional interests of local communities customarily resident within or around a forest
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Respect cultural practices that are compatible with sustainable forest management
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Enhance more opportunities for women and youth in the forest through training and education
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Executive Committee Members of the Ngong Road Forest Association
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Chairman - Simon Kage
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Vice Chairman - Charles Kariga
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Treasurer - Muthoni Muhia
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Secretary - Simon Ng’ang’a
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Vice- Secretary- Fred Mutoma
A Growing Threat
The Ngong Road Forest covers an area approximately three and a half times the size of New York City’s Central Park. It is divided into two main sectors by the Ngong Road: the Miotoni Section to the North West, and the Racecourse and Kibera section to the South East. The Southern Bypass, which is currently under construction, in turn divides these sections.
The forest was originally gazetted in 1932, it covered an area of approximately 2,926.6 hectares and supplied the railways with timber and fuel. By 1978, this area had been reduced after a series of legal excisions. Illegal land grabbing was also rife with portions of the forest split off and allocated to private developers behind closed doors. In the early 1990s, the Trustees of Ngong Road Forest Sanctuary, led by Imre Loefler discovered that the core of the indigenous forest had been divided in to 35 land parcels and was to be given over to developers. After intense lobbying of the government, the sell-off was cancelled. By 2005, the total area of the Ngong Road Forest had reached its current size of 1,224 hectares.
The Forest Act of 2005
Since 2005 and the passing of The Forest Act, the Ngong Road Forest has been managed by the Kenya Forest Service. The 2005 Act was in part inspired by the rescue of the Karura Forest, reflecting a broader recognition of the importance of urban forest rehabilitation.
The Forest Act encourages the involvement of neighbouring communities in forest management, contrary to past practices which saw the centralisation of management. This is in line with the approach of countries around the world and a collaborative approach is now widely regarded as the optimum way of managing natural resources. The plan for rehabilitating the Ngong Road Forest has local community involvement at its core.
The Story of A Forest
The idea of a perfect storm in a country that suffers endemic drought may not be the correct metaphor but it does a pretty fair job of describing the current situation in the Ngong Road Forest:
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Rampant urbanisation and pressure for land and resources are pushing up against the forest boundaries. Encroachment and land grabbing, however small scale, are constant, while potential property developers continue to circle
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The natural resources of the forest, be they animals, timber or medicinal plants, lie unprotected, leading to unsustainable deforestation which affects the water table and fatally impacts the surrounding ecosystem
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Years of neglect and a lack of adequate fencing and patrols have created a deeply concerning security situation inside the forest. It has become a place of refuge for criminals who commit opportunistic attacks on visitors, reducing the number of people willing to set foot inside. This undermines the interest of the public in the forest’s preservation and conservation
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The forest is susceptible to forest fires during dry periods
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Lantana Camara and other invasive weeds grow tall and vigorously, endangering indigenous plants and trees. In the dams and waterways phragmites cluster along the waterbed and shorelines
Left unattended, these pressure points will only become more intense. One thing is certain, the longer the Ngong Road Forest is left, the smaller and more diminished the ancient forest will become. The existence of a diverse, safe and inclusive habitat is under threat. And once it is gone, there is no turning back.
The Story of A Forest
A Source of Inspiration - The Karura Forest
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Professor Wagari Maathai understood the critical importance of forests and parks to the health and well-being of a city. In the 1990s, she challenged the planned settlement of Nairobi’s other green space: the Karura Forest Reserve, resolutely standing up to vested interests who sought to replace trees with concrete towers.
Today, the 1,061 hectare Karura Forest is flourishing. On the weekends picnic goers settle on grassy banks as joggers and cyclists breeze by and birdwatchers settle in solitary corners. Walkers take advantage of the well-maintained and signposted forest circuits with routes that take in caves and waterfalls.
The Friends of Karura Forest was officially registered in October 2009, and is made up of individual, family and corporate members as well as residents’ associations bordering the forest.
Working in partnership with the Kenya Forest Service, activities completed by the Friends of Karura Forest include:
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Making the forest safe and secure by building and maintaining an electric fence along its perimeter, then employing a fence manager and hiring, training and equipping 27 scouts to patrol it
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Implementing a transparent entrance and event fee structure to generate revenue
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Using that revenue alongside personal and corporate sponsorships, to install extensive infrastructure including public amenities, ranger accommodation and signage
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Kicking off the restoration of the forest ecosystem by clearing 100 acres of invasive alien plants and replacing them with indigenous species
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Felling 1,000 eucalyptus trees to help restore the forest’s swamp, making room for species native to Kenyan forest habitats
In the past five years, the Karura Forest has seen its official visitor numbers rise from zero to 12,000 people a month. That’s a pretty decisive response to the question of whether Nairobi values its green space. The same can be achieved in the Ngong Road Forest.
“I have invested 20 years of my life in this campaign for the environment and I’m still only scratching the surface. I am confident of winning. Nobody will build anything in the forest as long as we live. We cannot dignify theft.”
Professor Wagari Maathai, Nairobi, 2001
Forest Security and Infrastructure
Security is the primary cause of concern in the Ngong Road Forest and the urgent aim of the fundraising plan is to raise sufficient monies to secure the borders of the forest.
Security is the pre-requisite; without it all other planned activities fall down. By raising funds for forest security, founding donors are drawing a line in the sand that this piece of urban forest is worth saving. The aim is not to gate off green space for the use of a few but to bring a halt to the rule of a criminal minority, transforming the forest into a place that can be enjoyed by all.
FENCING PLAN
Protecting the Ngong Road Forest is one of the CFA's highest priorities. To ensure effective management and long-term conservation, the forest fencing program has been implemented in phases, allowing each section to be secured, monitored, and maintained as resources become available.
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Sections 1 and 4 Successfully Secured
A major milestone was achieved through the support of the I&M Foundation, which funded the fencing and security enhancement of Section 4, the largest block of the Ngong Road Forest Sanctuary.
The project commenced in September 2024 and was successfully completed at the end of 2025. The intervention significantly strengthened forest protection by reducing illegal access, enhancing biodiversity conservation, and creating a safer environment for recreation, education, and community engagement.
This achievement builds on earlier conservation successes, including the completion of the fencing of Section 1, which was made possible through fundraising efforts led by NRFA together with private sector partners and local stakeholders. That initiative secured one of the forest's most vulnerable areas and laid the foundation for the phased protection of the entire forest.
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The Journey Continues
While Sections 1 and 4 are now secured, efforts continue to mobilize resources to fence the remaining Sections 2, 3, and 5. Completing the fencing of these areas will provide comprehensive protection for the entire Ngong Road Forest and strengthen its role as an urban biodiversity hotspot and recreational destination.
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Beyond the Fence
Experience has shown that fencing alone is not enough to protect a forest. Sustainable conservation requires continuous investment in security, maintenance, and community participation. Guided by lessons learned from successful urban forest conservation initiatives, NRFA continues to implement integrated security measures that include:
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Routine maintenance of the electric fence to ensure continuous functionality.
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Construction and maintenance of patrol roads along the fence line for efficient monitoring and rapid response.
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Deployment of trained community scouts and Kenya Forest Service (KFS) rangers to conduct regular day and night patrols.
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Installation and operation of CCTV surveillance at strategic locations to enhance forest security.
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Controlled access through designated entry and exit gates equipped with guard houses and security personnel.
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Improvement and maintenance of forest trails and patrol routes for effective movement within the forest.
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Provision of reliable communication equipment, including VHF handheld radios, to strengthen coordination among patrol teams.
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Ongoing collaboration with local communities, corporate partners, conservation organizations, and government agencies to ensure the long-term sustainability of the forest.
Securing the Future
The fencing and security program represents more than infrastructure; it is a long-term investment in conserving one of Nairobi's most important urban forests. Through strong partnerships, community stewardship, and continued support from organizations such as the I&M Foundation, NRFA remains committed to protecting Ngong Road Forest for present and future generations.
Illegal Land Title
It is not always 100% clear who owns what in the Ngong Road Forest and there continue to be many cases of false title deeds being issued and annual land rates being illegally collected.
The NRFA plans to engage with the Commissioner of Lands to halt further collection of annual land rates for illegally allocated parcels and to revoke illegal title deeds. As part of this initiative, areas along the Ngong Road which have been the site of encroachment from informal settlements and businesses will also be repossessed.