KFEET at 15:
KFEET at 15:
KFEET was launched in 2010 by a consortium of 5 partners: Friends of Karura Forest (FKF), Kenya Forest Service (KFS), The Greenbelt Movement, Vivo Energy and the Oshwal Education Relief Board. KFEET began as a bold idea to connect learners with nature, with our mission being “to promote conservation of the environment, in particular forests and sustainable management of natural resources through education programmes”. What started out as a dream shared by the late Professor Wangari Maathai and other environmentalists, has grown into one of Kenya’s most vibrant hubs for environmental education. It has been 15 years of passion, dedication, creativity and growth.
Our auditorium, which was officially launched by First Lady Margaret Kenyatta in 2013, was refurbished and transformed into a dedicated space for learning. Since then, we have continued to receive thousands of learners at the KFEET Centre, always striving to achieve our mission which is “to be the leading environmental conservation education organization in the region”.
Young people have always been at the heart of our mission. In 2018, KFEET hosted a youth summit, bringing together 150 students to explore the future of conservation. Our Outreach Programme was launched in 2019. The key objective of the Outreach Programme is to create and facilitate equitable access through sponsored visits for select schools. With the support of the Friends of Karura Forest (FKF), KFEET sponsors learners from two schools each week. To date, the Outreach Programme initiative covers transportation, meals, and a full day of engaging environmental education activities. This has been very effective in providing children from under-resourced communities with the opportunity to experience and learn from nature. Alongside the Outreach Programme, KFEET also hosts thousands of self-sponsoring students who visit the forest to learn about conservation, the environment and sustainability.
Over the years, KFEET has continued to go from strength to strength. From World Environment Day celebrations, to the observances of International Day of Forests, our center has become a venue for celebrating nature. In 2023, King Charles III visited Karura Forest and stopped by our stand – a proud moment for the KFEET team. Alongside our staff of educators, we are proud to work with a team of educational facilitators drawn from the FKF Forest Scouts. This team is instrumental in receiving learners, facilitating their indoor and outdoor sessions, as well as giving informative guided forest tours that are linked to the educational objectives of school visits.
In 2024, we launched our website, our new logo, and the exciting “Karura Comics”, a series available in both English and Kiswahili. Splashes of colour made the KFEET Centre come alive, with a beautiful washroom mural inspired by children from Karura Forest Primary School, as well as vibrant artwork in the auditorium capturing the diversity of Karura’s flora and fauna, as well as a lovely mural featuring Wangari Maathai, welcoming visitors to the centre.
This year, 2025, we introduced the KFEET Club, piloted at City Primary and Dandora Primary. KFEET Club is an initiative to reach more children by encouraging them to plant micro forests in their school compounds and take part in conservation activities.
As proud as we are at achieving our 15-year milestone, there is still so much to do, and it almost feels like our journey is just beginning! We look forward to expanding our reach, inspiring more learners, and planting the seeds of conservation for generations to come.
Here’s to the next 15 years of growth, education and environmental stewardship!
By Julie Kimutai
Manager, KFEET
The Karura Forest Environmental Education Trust — KFEET — was established in 2010 to promote environmental education and provide a centre for learning about forest ecosystems.
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