Let us name Karura Forest after Wangari Maathai

 

I first visited Karura Forest in March 2013. Eight years later, it is difficult to imagine life without Karura Forest. In these short eight years, I have seen the traffic in Karura Forest grow from a bunch of cars at the Kefeet parking lot, accessed from Gate ‘A’ on Limuru Road, to one of the most popular family destinations in Nairobi.

On Saturdays and Sundays, the forest highways are teeming with runners, walkers, cyclists, dogs and sightseers.

It is such a pleasant sight to see Kenyans embrace the forest and make it a permanent fixture in their weekend family activities. These numbers have recently increased in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic as families working from home all week seek to catch some fresh air. I must also commend the forest management for maintaining impressive levels of cleanliness and orderliness in spite of the increased footfall.

The increasing use of Karura Forest as an alternative recreational destination clearly demonstrates the need for large and open spaces. While Karura Forest is a national treasure that must be preserved and protected at all costs, we must think about replicating it and its massive success by establishing more forests and parks with nature trails to serve the growing demand.

Child obesity

In an era where playgrounds are grabbed and turned into malls, families are running out of options for recreation, resorting to spending hours with gadgets, a trend that is worrying experts. Child obesity is becoming a big problem in this country, and we must not only address it through healthy diet but also normalising a culture of regular exercise among children and families.

For some, Karura is not accessible either because it is too far or they find the Sh100 entry fee a luxury they cannot afford. It is for this reason that the national and county governments must be challenged to set aside some land to grow more forests, maintain them and make them accessible to all.

But, as I have said before, it is difficult for me to run in Karura without thinking of one woman without whose selflessness and sacrifices we would not have this forest.

Lip service

Wangari Maathai may have done a lot with her life but the best gift she ever gave Kenyans, at least according to me, was protecting Karura Forest with everything she had.

Last year, I suggested that perhaps it is time for this country to truly posthumously honour this daughter of the soil by naming Karura Forest after her. We need to go beyond our lip service and salute this legend who put us on the map.

This year on September 25 will be 10 years since Wangari Maathai died. Let us mark this decade of her absence by finally naming the forest after a woman whose blood was shed in that piece of heaven.

No prizes for guessing where I’ll be spending my mornings this weekend! BY DAILY NATION