Construction site of a luxury camping facility hotel in Ngong Road Forest, Nairobi, pictured on May 27, 2025.
A parliamentary committee has ordered the immediate suspension of the ongoing construction of a hotel in Ngong forest until the identity of the private developer is revealed and how they acquired the public land.
The National Assembly committee on Environment, Forestry and Mining on Tuesday called for a stop in the construction until Cabinet Secretary for Environment Deborah Barasa and Principal Secretary Gitonga Mugambi appear before it to reveal to Kenyans who is building the hotel on public land.
The committee, in a terse message to Dr Mulongo and PS Mugambi, said they risk impeachment if they ignore the order of Parliament to stop the ongoing works in the forest.
Baringo South MP Charles Kamuren, the vice chairperson of the committee, said they owe it to Kenyans to unmask the face behind the hotel, how they acquired the forest land, and whether the public was engaged in the entire process.
Baringo South MP Charles Kamuren.
“This committee has stopped all the activities in Ngong forest until the CS and PS Mugambi appear before us next Thursday and tell us who is the person building a hotel on public land,” said Mr Kamuren , who chaired the meeting.
“Until we know the truth, no work should go on there. We are aware that there was no public participation before the construction began. This forest is public property and we are wondering how an individual got the authority to build a hotel there,” he added.
The committee had scheduled a meeting with the Forestry PS, but he failed to show up.
Dr Barasa, in a letter to the Clerk of the National Assembly Samuel Njoroge told the committee that the PS is out of the country.
“I wish to inform you that the Principal Secretary, State Department for Forestry, will not be available for the meeting as he is out of the country from June 1 to June 11, 2025. Due to the importance of this engagement, we are proposing that the committee considers postponing the meeting with the ministry to the following week, preferably June 18, 2025,” reads the letter.
Furious members of the committee however warned the PS and the CS over their habitual dodging of lawmakers whenever they are invited over critical matters affecting the public.
“This is the third time the ministry has failed to appear before us. The other time, we waited for them in Mombasa and they did not show up. We want to warn both the CS and PS that nobody is above the law and Kenyans deserve to know the truth,” Mr Kamuren said.
Construction site of a luxury camping facility hotel in Ngong Road Forest, Nairobi, pictured on May 27, 2025.
Kacheliba MP Titus Lotee said the committee will also write to the Ministry of Lands to disclose the status of the land and whether there was change of ownership.
“The PS should stop the construction of the hotel until he clears the air on who the owners are because it is in the public domain that the forest belongs to the public,” Mr Lotee said.
“I want this ministry to tell Kenyans the identity of this person who is above the law, who is allowed to build a hotel in public land,” he added.
Echoes of impunity
Mr Lotee questioned why the law is being applied selectively citing the case of Mau forest where ordinary Kenyans were kicked out and some lost property. Yet in Ngong, the MP said, another person is allowed to construct a hotel.
Mr Kamuren said no amount of running away from the committee will shield the ministry from disclosing to Kenyans the face behind the hotel.
“As Parliament, we don’t fear anyone, the PS can run but we will catch up with him,” Mr Kamuren said.
The construction of the luxurious hotel inside the forest started without the required approvals from the National Environment Management Authority (Nema).
Apart from the lawmakers, environmentalists have also raised an alarm on how a private developer was allowed to construct a hotel deep in the forest.
