High Court Stops Meru State Lodge Public Participation Over Imenti Forest Dispute
The High Court has temporarily stopped public participation on the proposed Meru State Lodge, airstrip and golf course project, dealing a fresh setback to the controversial plans for Imenti Forest.
Justice Oguttu Mboya granted an interim conservatory order after declaring the application urgent, halting the public participation exercise until the court hears and determines the petition before it.
In his ruling, the judge pointed out that existing court orders already prohibit the commencement of the disputed project. He said the actions being challenged could not continue while those earlier orders remain in effect.
The court instructed the petitioners to serve all respondents with the application within two days. Those named in the case will then have seven days from the date of service to file and serve their responses.
The matter is scheduled to return to court on July 21, 2026, for further directions. The interim orders suspending the public participation process will remain in force until then.
The dispute arises from a petition filed in June seeking to block any planned developments inside Imenti Forest. The case was brought amid concerns that parts of the protected forest could be set aside for major infrastructure projects, including a State Lodge, an airstrip and a golf course.
Before the Environment and Land Court, petitioner Francis Awino is asking for conservatory orders preventing government agencies and any other parties from excising, allocating, licensing, surveying, clearing, fencing or constructing on any section of Imenti Forest until the petition is heard and determined.
Court documents argue that recent reports and public statements indicating sections of the forest could be earmarked for large-scale developments present a significant risk to the ecological integrity of the protected ecosystem.
The petition also maintains that allowing the proposed projects to move forward before the court rules on their legality could leave Imenti Forest exposed to irreversible environmental damage.
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