Environmental NGO Raises Alarm Over Hotel Being Built In Ngong Forest
The Green Belt Movement (GBM) has urged the Ministry of Environment and the Kenya Forest Service to address concerns over suspected encroachment on Ngong Road Forest.
This follows reports of a luxurious hotel being built inside the sanctuary.
In a demand letter to KFS, the GBM demands that the private developer’s identity be divulged and that the building be halted since it endangers the environment.
The initiative claims that the ongoing construction of a hotel in the center of the forest threatens the encroachment of protected forests, both as a water catchment and a natural environment, and calls for immediate action.
“As you are aware, Ngong Road Forest is a critical ecological and biodiversity resource in Nairobi,” the letter read in part.
🚨Dear Kenyans, a luxury hotel is being built inside Ngong Road Forest—next to the sanctuary. Who approved this? Where is the EIA? Was the public consulted? @KeForestService must urgently explain how a forest reserve is being handed to private developers. #SaveNgongForest 🌳 pic.twitter.com/EyMSo07dyN
— Green Belt Movement (@GreenBeltMovmnt) May 15, 2025
“It provides essential ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration, air purification, water catchment protection, and serves as an important recreational and educational green space for the city’s residents.”
“It has come to our attention that a private developer has begun construction within this forest area. This development, if confirmed, raises serious environmental, legal, and ethical concerns,” the letter continued.
The initiative demands that the developer’s name be divulged, as well as the procedure by which the firm was awarded permission to build the hotel.
They also want KFS to produce a copy of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report and license given by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) for the project.
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The development began months after the KFS revoked licenses provided to a private developer for a golf course and restaurant in Ngong Road Forest.
Green places in the city and around Kenya have become the latest target for private developers seeking to build commercial projects while eradicating forest cover, creating an environmental concern.
The government has been walking a fine line between development and conservation.
While it has hosted climate summits and pledged environmental protection, it has also lifted bans on logging and allocated forest land for projects.
Environmental NGO Raises Alarm Over Hotel Being Built In Ngong Forest
