A parliamentary committee is set to approve the construction of a hotel in Ngong Forest, citing a lack of merit in the petition before them and political interference in the entire investigation.
According to the chairman of the National Assembly's Environment, Forestry and Mining Committee, Mwala MP Vincent Musyoka, the construction of the hotel inside Ngong Forest is not illegal, as was initially claimed, since such activities are ongoing in almost all of the country's gazetted forests.
“When we looked at the matter keenly, we realised it was highly politicised and has no merit in law as provided in the Kenya Forest Act,” Mr Musyoka told the Nation.
The move is sure to attract the wrath of conservationists, who argue that approving the project will encourage further encroachment into public forests and reduce forest cover. This would be detrimental to efforts aimed at mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change.
Construction site of a luxury camping facility hotel in Ngong Road Forest, Nairobi, pictured on May 27, 2025.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
“We also realised during the probe that the person who brought the issue was a competitor and wanted the same space. He even went to court. If the activity was illegal as claimed, why was the same person fighting to have it?” said Mr Musyoka.
He said the law allows leasing of gazetted forest for activities that promote tourism so long as the act does not cause environmental degradation.
“Such activities are happening all over gazetted forests in the country including where Bomas of Kenya is standing is a gazetted forest area,” Mr Musyoka said.
“We basically felt that this matter is political and has no merit and that is the feeling of other members of the committee.”
Mr Musyoka said the committee will not be used as an arena where disgruntled individuals fight their political wars.
“If we are to decriminalise the construction in Ngong forest, then we must do it to all other forests in the country including Bomas. KFS leasing part of forest isn’t illegal, it's within the law so long as all the regulations are adhered to,” Mr Musyoka said.
The impending parliamentary approval is likely to attract further questions on the commitment of President William Ruto’s administration to protect the environment with focus on the fate of the crucial Ngong Forest.
Established under Proclamation No. 44 of 1932 and later gazetted in 1964 as a Central Government Forest Reserve through Legal Notice No. 174, the Ngong Forest was originally 2,850 hectares but the size has since been reduced to it’s the current 1,224 hectares due to grabbing and infrastructure development.
The reserve comprises five distinct blocs, including Miotoni, Lenana, Sanctuary, Bomas, and Karen — each characterized by rich ecological diversity and offering significant potential for ecotourism, recreation, environmental education, and scientific research.
The Ngong Road forest bloc is managed by Kenya Forest Service (KFS) in collaboration with Ngong Road Community Forest Association and other stakeholders
When the Cabinet Secretary for Environment Deborah Mulongo appeared before the committee in July 2025, she told the lawmakers that the government suspended a special licence that was issued to Konyon Company Ltd to construct the hotel in order to allow for a review.
Construction site of a luxury camping facility hotel in Ngong Road Forest, Nairobi, pictured on May 27, 2025.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
“The conditional user licence previously issued was suspended to allow for an independent review and broader stakeholder consultation,” Dr Barasa told the committee.
“We are confident that the ongoing measures - specifically, the suspension of construction pending further consultation and a comprehensive audit - underscore our dedication to both environmental conservation and responsible ecotourism,” shew added.
Documents tabled before the committee by the ministry of Environment, indicate that in 2022, the Green Belt Movement (GBM) had applied to the Kenya Forest Service, to develop a site for establishment of a children's museum consisting of exhibition pavilion, walk ways, picnic areas, and cafe and museum shop.
The request, according to the documents, was approved on March 8, 2022 by the KFS board. However, the Green Belt Movement did not pay pre-requisite fees and charges for issuance of Special Use Licence hence could proceed with its intended plan.
KFS also received a Special Use Licence application from Konyon Company Limited (Certificate of incorporation No.C.115875 P.O Box 27511 Nyayo Stadium) on November, 4 2024 within the Ngong Road Forest Sanctuary block to develop a Unique Glamping Eco-lodge and Wellness Retreat. The company's directors are listed as Beatrice Pauline Kones, Yvonne Chepkurui Kones, and Arthur Konye Igeria.
Impact on the environment
It is upon failure to pay this special licence fee that the KFS said it considered the application request from Konyon Company Limited.
Last year, some members of the committee claimed that Konyon Company Ltd got the licence because it is owned by well-connected individuals.
The lawmakers wanted a detailed explanation of the processes followed both by the ministry at the national level and KFS in granting permission.
“Our forests have been attacked by people who are well connected. The reason Konyon Company was given the licence—because the area doesn’t have trees—does not arise, because even shrubs are part of the forest,” said Kacheliba MP Titus Lotee.
KFS said it conducted an appraisal on the area that the company wanted to construct the hotel and noted that it is covered with grass, scattered bushes and shrubs.
Further, KFS according to the documents, granted the request by Konyon Company because the site was found not to be a water catchment area or a water source, it also had endangered species, no cultural or scientific attributes and that the materials that the company intended to use were also eco-friendly hence would have minimal impact on the environment.
Construction site of a luxury camping facility hotel in Ngong Road Forest, Nairobi, pictured on May 27, 2025.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
“Based on the above observations the report recommended for development of the eco-lodge,” reads the document
In November 2024, the KFS management prepared and submitted a paper to the Technical Committee of the board of directors to consider the application.
On January 21, 2025, the board reviewed and approved the request during a meeting held at the KFS headquarters and issued a conditional Special User Licence (SUL) on February 12, 2025
“Following the Board approval, the Service negotiated the conditions necessary for issuing a Special User Licence (SUL) with the proponent on February 12, 2025, after all fees and charges were fully settled,” reads the government document.
Konyon Company Ltd engaged an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) expert. However, on May 15, 2025, the public and environmental protection groups voiced concern over allegations of encroachment into Ngong Forest for the proposed construction of a hotel, citing potential environmental threats.
There were also accusations that construction of the luxurious hotel inside the forest started without the required approvals from the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) and adequate public participation.
In order to address these public concerns, the Chief Conservator of Forests suspended activities of the proposed eco-lodge to allow for a wider stakeholder consultation and public participation which took place on May 19, 2025, at Ngong Road Forest Sanctuary. KFS was accused of using the process to rubberstamp an illegality way after the construction had started.
Last year, the committee asked the ministry to explain why it deviated from the government’s plan to plant 15 billion trees and instead granted permission to build a hotel in an area they deemed to have no trees.
“We owe it to the coming generation—the Gen Zs—that we need to conserve our forests. But it is sad that we are now not planting trees; we are building hotels,” said Njoro MP Charity Kathambi at the time.
This question arose after Principal Secretary Gitonga Mugambi, who accompanied the Cabinet Secretary, defended the building of the hotel in the forest, saying it was being done in an area with minimal tree cover.
“We target the areas without trees because we also need to create jobs for our people,” Mr. Mugambi said.
