Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has accused President William Ruto of targeting Muthaiga Golf Club amid an escalating dispute between the facility and the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) over the boundary between the golf course and Karura Forest. In a statement on Thursday, September 17, Gachagua said he had been contacted by members of the club who were concerned about KFS’s actions at the facility. He alleged that the government was seeking to take control of part of the golf course, linking the move directly to President Ruto.

“Members of Muthaiga Golf Club have woken me up at night, informing me that William Ruto, using the Kenya Forest Service, is planning to grab Muthaiga Golf Course,” Gachagua said.

He further claimed that senior KFS officials had entered the facility accompanied by dogs and informed club members that part of the golf course was located within Karura Forest.

“Members were shocked when senior KFS officers turned up at the club with killer dogs and declared part of the golf course as being in Karura Forest,” he added.

Gachagua also pointed to the club’s long history, arguing that it had existed before Kenya’s independence. The allegations come as Muthaiga Golf Club and KFS remain locked in a dispute over the legal status and boundaries of a section of the golf course. KFS has rejected the club’s position, maintaining that part of the property claimed by Muthaiga Golf Club falls within the gazetted Karura Forest. The agency says the disputed area is part of Land Reference Number 13134/3 and encroaches on Karura Forest by approximately 21.8 hectares, or about 54 acres.

According to KFS, Karura Forest was surveyed in the 1920s, gazetted as a forest reserve in 1932 and later declared a Central Forest in 1964. The forest agency has also disputed the club’s legal basis for occupying the contested section. KFS says historical records show that the former Forest Department and the Commissioner of Lands were involved in documentation concerning the land on which the golf course was established. The agency further says the club was invited to apply for a Forest Special Use Licence following the enactment of the Forest Conservation and Management Act, 2007, but did not do so. KFS also says it engaged the club again in 2021 over what it described as occupation of part of Karura Forest Reserve. The agency maintains that its records do not contain evidence proving the club’s lawful occupation of the disputed forest land.

The dispute became public after KFS restricted access to the Front Nine of Muthaiga Golf Club, covering holes two through nine. In a notice to members, club chairman Dennis Mwirigi said KFS had moved into the area and was claiming that the section formed part of Karura Forest.

“KFS is purporting that this section of the course falls within Karura Forest,” Mwirigi said.

The club temporarily closed the affected section while its board sought to resolve the matter. The driving range and parking area were not affected. The club later announced that access to the affected section had been restored, with Mwirigi telling members:

“We are pleased to confirm that access to the affected part of the closure has been restored and members may proceed with their scheduled activities as usual.”

KFS has said it intends to engage Muthaiga Golf Club’s management to resolve the dispute. The agency previously announced plans for a meeting with the club, saying the discussions would seek an amicable solution to the conflicting positions over ownership and occupation of the land. The central issue remains the precise boundary of the golf club’s property and the gazetted Karura Forest, as well as the legal documents supporting each side’s position.

Gachagua’s latest remarks have now brought President Ruto directly into the politically charged dispute. However, his allegation that the President is personally behind an attempted takeover of the golf course has not been independently established in the reports reviewed. For now, the dispute remains primarily a question of land records, historical boundaries and the legal status of the contested section, with KFS and the golf club expected to continue discussions over its ownership and use.