Meru court halts construction of state lodge, airstrip, and golf course in Imenti Forest
via Tuko3 min read
The Environment and Land Court in Meru has issued a temporary injunction, stopping the construction of a State Lodge, airstrip, and golf course within the protected Imenti Forest. Justice Oguttu Mboya directed that no activity should occur in the affected sections of the forest until a petition challenging the project is heard and determined. The court order specifically bars any form of excision, allocation, surveying, leasing, licensing, clearing, construction, or development related to the proposed projects. It also mandates the preservation of the forest's current character, ecological condition, and legal status. The judge certified the matter as urgent and ordered respondents to disclose and file all project-related documents, including approvals, Environmental Impact Assessment reports, licenses, permits, maps, acreage surveys, feasibility studies, records of public participation, and agreements, within 14 days. The petitioners initiated the legal challenge, arguing that the proposed developments could undermine the ecological integrity and protected status of the forest. Public concern has grown over reports that approximately 100 acres of the forest might be designated for the presidential development project, drawing criticism from residents, environmental activists, and conservation groups.
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A Tanzanian driver, Emmanuel Ndoro Chaka, and a Kenyan national, Paul Ogolla Ogutu, have been charged in a Mombasa Magistrate's court with trafficking 333.35 kilograms of bhang valued at KSh 10,000,500. Anti-narcotics detectives recovered the bhang from a truck driven by Chaka in the Mariakani area of Kaloleni Sub-County, Kilifi County, on June 19, 2026. Both men denied the charges, which were filed contrary to Section 4aii of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Act. The prosecution opposed their release on bond, citing flight risk due to cross-border connections and the potential for interference with ongoing investigations. Mombasa Resident Magistrate Jamlick Muriithi Mwenda directed that the case be mentioned on July 2, 2026, for a pre-bail report and pre-trial directions.
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