The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has revealed that Konyon Company Ltd is behind the contentious luxury camping project in Ngong Road Forest, having been awarded a contract to construct 11 cottages on the site.
During a stakeholders' engagement forum at the Ngong Road Sanctuary on Tuesday, KFS said the project aims to boost eco-tourism while promoting sustainable use of forest resources.
While KFS said Konyon Company Ltd won the tender to construct the 11 cottages, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) stated that it did not issue any license for the project.
NEMA revealed that the initial environmental impact assessment was done by a private consultant hired by Konyon Company, not a regulatory body, and raised concerns that the project began without public participation or official approval.
NEMA further revealed that the plan was actually to construct 20 cottages, contradicting the 11 reported by KFS. The cottages are to include 20 luxury tented units designed with canvas and stone, alongside a medium tent reception, recreational and dining areas, a hexadome restaurant, a breakfast tent, a yoga deck, an open-field restaurant, an alfresco dining area, and a meeting room.
Other planned features include wellness and activity spaces such as a wellness centre with a sauna, steam room and massage facilities, a concrete kitchen covering 150 square metres with adjacent storage, a linen and laundry room, staff accommodation, a security cabin, and an electric room. The consultant involved in the project advised the contractor to scale down the development from 20 cottages to 10 to minimise the impact on the forest.
Of greater concern, the contractor has yet to explain why the NEMA report specified that the eco-lodge was to be constructed using only degradable materials, while concrete buildings have already been erected on site.
KFS also criticised the Green Belt Movement, saying it applied in 2020 through Greenkids Museum Kenya Limited to set up a children’s museum in the forest.
The application was, however, unsuccessful as the applicant failed to pay the required fees, preventing the issuance of a license. KFS noted that the applicant is a member of the Ngong Road Forest Association, a group co-managing the forest in collaboration with the Service. The proposed museum was intended to occupy eight acres of the same site.
Following concerns raised by the Green Belt Movement, which alerted authorities about the illegal activity in the sanctuary, KFS suspended construction of the camping facility pending further consultations.
The Green Belt Movement had demanded to know the developer’s identity, documents showing how the constructor was granted access to develop inside the protected forest, a copy of the Environmental Impact Assessment Report, and the license issued by NEMA.
The controversy follows another backlash faced by KFS over plans to cede part of Karura Forest land for the expansion of Kiambu Road.
KFS later denied most allegations, confirming only a planned interchange covering 2.2 hectares (5.4 acres).
