The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has responded to a land dispute involving Muthaiga Golf Club, maintaining that approximately 21.8 hectares of property claimed by the club fall within the legally gazetted Karura Forest.
The dispute centres on Land Reference (LR) No. 13134/3, which Muthaiga Golf Club claims to own. KFS, however, says part of the property encroaches onto land legally reserved as Karura Forest.
“Karura Forest was surveyed in the early 1920s, with the survey being registered in 1923,” KFS said in a statement.
The forest agency further stated that Muthaiga Golf Club’s parcel “encroaches onto the gazetted Karura Forest by approximately 21.8 hectares.”
According to KFS, the area in question was later declared a Forest Reserve through Proclamation No. 44 of 1932 before being gazetted as a Central Forest under Legal Notice No. 174 of May 20, 1964.
The development has triggered a dispute over the legally recognised boundary between the golf club and Karura Forest, with the disagreement spilling into the operations of the historic Nairobi club.
Muthaiga Golf Club temporarily closed eight holes after KFS allegedly took over access to part of its course. In an internal memo dated Tuesday, September 15, Club Chairman Dennis Mwirigi informed members that KFS had taken over access to the Front Nine, comprising Holes 2 to 9.
“We wish to inform you that the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has invaded the course and taken over access to the Front Nine, from Hole No. 2 through to Hole No. 9. KFS is purporting that this section of the course falls within Karura Forest,” the club said.
The club subsequently suspended access to the affected holes as the dispute was being addressed. “The Front Nine (Holes No. 2-9) is NOT available or accessible for members' use until further notice,” the statement added.
Muthaiga Golf Club said its board was engaging with the matter and working towards an urgent resolution.
“The Board is seized of the matter and is trying its level best to resolve the situation as urgently as possible,” it said.
The closure affected eight of the club's 18 holes, although other facilities, including the driving range and parking area, remained operational.
KFS's response now provides its first detailed explanation of the dispute, with the agency rejecting suggestions that it unlawfully took over private property. Instead, the forest agency maintains that the disputed section is part of land legally reserved as Karura Forest.
The competing positions have raised questions over the exact boundary between the golf club's property and the forest, particularly regarding LR No. 13134/3 and the 21.8 hectares identified by KFS.
KFS said the matter would be discussed with Muthaiga Golf Club during a meeting at the agency's headquarters. Both parties are expected to present their respective positions and work towards an amicable settlement.
The dispute comes at a time when access to part of the golf course remains restricted, leaving members unable to use the Front Nine until further notice.
Muthaiga Golf Club, located on the edge of Karura Forest in Nairobi's Muthaiga suburb, has an 18-hole international golf course and is among Kenya's historic golf clubs.
The outcome of the discussions between KFS and the golf club is expected to determine whether access to the eight affected holes will be restored and how the competing claims over the disputed land will be resolved.
