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12,533
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The total number of visitors to Karura Forest in Feb-Mar 2013. Walkers, runners, bird-watchers, footballers, families and school outings are now commonplace in the forest.
The number included 2,800 event participants in wedding receptions, team-building, training, and picnics, all which helps pay for security and infrastructure improvements.
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VISITOR NUMBERS...
 ...are increasing by the month. |
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KFEET Auditorium Open
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KFEET has converted the former BP-Shell Sports Club squash court, which was in a poor state of repair, into an educational auditorium. The auditorium comfortably seats 100 visitors to view films or attend lectures. It meets all safety standards and in addition provides a small office space at one end for the KFEET Education Officer and FKF accountant. Contact Lucy Njoka 0725 939093 for booking.
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| Get a Receipt! | 
Please make sure you sign-in and get a receipt at the gate for entry fees and maps. Security in the forest depends on revenue from events and gate-takings. Your gate fees help maintain the fence and Karura Scouts. Please retain and be prepared to show your receipts. Many thanks!
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Noteworthy Events
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CYCLEFEST 2013
Twenty-eight members of the Rotaract Club of Muthaiga held a bicycle riding event on 23 Feb. The aim of the event was to raise funds for the club, achieve team building and networking during cycling and picnicking in the beautiful ambiance of Karura Forest.
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GISS 2013  Twenty Global Issue Service Summit participants visited Karura on 23 Feb. The summit held at ISK brought participants from all over the world under the theme "AMANI" (peace). The team was taken through a brief of Karura Forest, watched a documentary at the newly refurbished auditorium, and planted 40 seedlings before taking a walk
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PEPONI RECRUITMENT DRIVE
On 16 March, FKF helped the Peponi Residence Welfare Association to recruit members and create awareness of the Forest. More than 20 PRWA members, who neighbor the forest on the Sigiria side, attended the function. They were encouraged to sign up for FKF membership and obtain annual passes .
Welcome, Peponi-ites!
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| Infrastructure Works | |
The renovation of the 1-km stretch of road from Limuru Rd gate to KFEET Centre is finally completed. The road serves as the main entry to the forest by most visitors. The parking lot at the gate has been expanded to hold more vehicles.
 Thanks for your patience! |
Dog Owners
Please Read, Heed | 
Some dog owners are having problems following the guidelines for keeping their best friends on leash unless in designated off-leash areas. Please help make the Karura a pleasure for all visitors.
Please Read Dog Guidelines |
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Greetings!
Greetings from a wet Karura. A short but hot dry season has finished with a good start to the long rains. Activities have slowed down, but there is no excuse not to put on your waterproof shoes and take a bracing walk in the woods.
This is the best time to plant trees. For only 300/= a tree, you can help restore the indigenous glory that was once Karura. The fee includes site preparation, cost of the seedling and subsequent care (weeding and watering as necessary) for three years to ensure your one tree or your 1,000 trees grow to join the Karura canopy.
Needless to add that we are all grateful for a peaceful outcome to the early-March elections. And full marks to our leaders who have called for a calm and judicious response to the outcome, irrespective of your political bent. We are all Kenyans in this together for the long haul.
Friends of Karura Forest
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Karura Management Agreement Launch
Official Ceremony to mark the Historic Joint Accord
 The FKF & KFS Management Agreement for Karura Forest was officially launched in a colourful ceremony held at KFEET Centre on 21 February 2013.
 The occasion was graced by D.K Mbugua, Director Kenya Forest Service (KFS), Prof. Karanja Njoroge (Chair FKF), Members of the Forestry Conservancy Committee, and FKF Partners led by a representative from East African Breweries Ltd, Barclays Bank and G4S Security. In attendance were KFS Staff , FKF staff and members of the local community. The KFS Choir entertained guests with their patriotic songs on importance of forest conservation.  | |
Prof. Karanja
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The five-year agreement maps out the terms of joint-stewardship of the forest resource by government and citizen stakeholders Prof. Karanja highlighted the three pillars of the agreement, namely security for the forest and its visitors, conservation in particular reforestation of Karura to its natural state, and eco-friendly recreation for visitors from all walks of life.  | | Dir. Mbugua |
As Director Mbugua pointed out, the Friends of Karura Community Forest Association is quite different from other CFAs in the country, with its membership drawn from a very broad social and economic spectrum. It will provide a model for future CFAs throughout Kenya.
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KaruraKam Captures Night Creatures
Karura Comes Alive After Dark
 | | Common Genet caught 13 Feb at 19:21 |
The newly-acquired camera traps continue to reveal abundant animal activity after the Karura gates close at 18:00 hrs.
Captures to date include bushbuck, Grimm's duiker, white-tailed mongoose, porcupine, the genet (above) and clawless otters (below). A gallery will be set up on the FKF website soon.
The otters, a first record for the Karura, are particularly interesting. First, there are three of them -- a family group? Usually they live solitarily. Secondly, they were caught some 40m from their usual aquatic habitat. And finally, they were wandering around in the middle of the night: unusual for diurnal animals. We wonder if the growing human traffic in the forest is causing animals to change their habits?
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Clawless Otters 4 Feb 00:40
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The camera is the specially-designed Reconyx brand Hyperfire 600. It has a PIR (passive infrared) sensor that activates the camera whenever anything warmer than the surroundings comes into view. It has an infrared light source for night imaging. The flash drive can record 64,000 images and the batteries last over a year. Two cameras have been donated to FKF by generous Karura friends, to whom many thanks!
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Indigenous Tree Planting
Kids, Corporates Continue to Lead in Tree-Planting
To mark the Earth hour on the 23rd of March 2013, children from Cub Scouts Pack 140 (Boy Scouts of America via the USA Embassy), planted trees in the forest. The ten 6-to-10-year-olds enjoyed helping in the forest and said they look forward to participate in more volunteer activities in Karura.
 To mark 25 years of existence as a financial institution in Kenya , I & M bank Limited planted 1,000 seedlings in the northern part of the forest, under the theme "Let's create Millions of Branches Together". The bank hopes to plant and maintain 25 acres. The occasion was attended by the I & M bank Limited directors, FKF Chair and the bank staff with their families.
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Pays Tribute to Wangari Maathai and Karura
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Princess Lalla
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HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa, Chairwoman of the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, visited Karura Forest on 16 February to pay tribute to Late Wangari Maathai for her role in environmental advocacy.
Princess Lalla signed the visitors' book with the message, "the environment is a vector for peace."
Wanjira Maathai (Vice Chair Green Belt Movement), Prof Karanja Njoroge (Chair FKF) and Mr. Stephen Kahunyo (County Coordinator KFS) spoke to express their pride and honour in having the princess visit Karura.
HRH had been the Keynote Speaker at the Ministerial Forum during the 27th meeting of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Governing Council. The meeting was held in mid-February at the UN Office at Gigiri, which borders Karura.
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Please Join the Friends of Karura Forest
Membership is open to all persons, organizations and corporations who support the FKF mission to protect, manage and enhance the Karura Forest Reserve.
Members enjoy reduced Annual Pass fees: click here to view rates. Or, click here to see the types of membership. You can sign up at the KFEET (Karura Forest Environment Education Trust) Centre (the former BP-Shell Sports Club in the main forest), or stop by the FKF secretariat office in Muthaiga (address at bottom).
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In this relatively quiet period during the rains, we need to reflect on the growing number of visitors to the forest each month (see graph above in the sidebar).
If we are to follow the wishes and wisdom of our late patron, Prof. Wangari Maathai, let's all take care that visitors enjoy the forest natural state with enthusiasm but use it sustainably according to our shared vision for its future.
We recall Wangari's cautionary note that the forest should not become an 'amusement park', but remain a natural amenity providing a green refuge for environmentally-aware visitors whilst retaining its capacity to provide ecosystem services (clean air, groundwater, a haven for wildlife) for all.
Sincerely,
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The Board of Friends of Karura Forest
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