High Court halts public participation on proposed Meru state lodge project

High Court halts public participation on proposed Meru state lodge project
High Court halts public participation on proposed Meru state lodge project - The High Court has suspended a planned public participation exercise on the proposed construction of a State Lodge, airstrip and golf course in Meru. (Photo: File)
The High Court has suspended a planned public participation exercise on the proposed construction of a State Lodge, airstrip and golf course in Meru. (Photo: File)

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State seeks dismissal of petition challenging planned airstrip, State Lodge, bypass road at Imenti Forest area

Carolyne Kubwa  ·  1 week ago
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The judge noted that the court had already issued orders preserving the status quo over the disputed developments and found that allowing the public participation process to continue would undermine those directives.

The High Court has suspended a planned public participation exercise on the proposed construction of a State Lodge, airstrip and golf course in Meru, pending the determination of a petition challenging the controversial developments within the Imenti Forest.
Justice Oguttu Mboya issued interim conservatory orders stopping the exercise after certifying the application as urgent, holding that the intended public participation could not proceed while there were existing court orders restraining the implementation of the project.
In his ruling, the judge noted that the court had already issued orders preserving the status quo over the disputed developments and found that allowing the public participation process to continue would undermine those directives.

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"The actions complained of cannot be permitted to proceed in light of the existing court orders," the judge ruled while granting the interim relief.
The court directed the petitioners to serve all respondents with the application within two days. The respondents were given seven days after service to file and exchange their responses.
Justice Mboya scheduled the matter for mention on July 21, 2026, when the court will issue further directions on the case. The conservatory orders suspending the public participation process will remain in force until then.

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The dispute stems from a petition lodged in June by activist Francis Awino before the Environment and Land Court, challenging proposed developments within the Imenti Forest, a protected public forest.
In the petition, Awino seeks orders restraining the government and other parties from excising, allocating, surveying, licensing, clearing, fencing or undertaking any construction or other activities on any section of the forest until the case is heard and determined.
The petition was prompted by reports and public pronouncements suggesting that parts of the forest had been identified for the construction of a State Lodge, an airstrip and a golf course.
Awino contends that the proposed projects pose a serious threat to the ecological integrity of Imenti Forest and could result in the destruction of a protected ecosystem if allowed to proceed.
He argues that any attempts to alter the status of the forest before the court determines the legality of the proposed developments would undermine environmental protections guaranteed under the Constitution.
The latest orders mean that the planned public participation exercise, which was expected to pave the way for the proposed developments, cannot proceed until the court considers the petition and issues further directions later this month.

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