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.

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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.

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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.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya