Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has accused President William Ruto of targeting Muthaiga Golf Club in an escalating dispute over a section of the Nairobi golf course that the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) says falls within the gazetted Karura Forest.
Gachagua made the allegations as the row between Muthaiga Golf Club and KFS intensified, with access to eight holes on the club’s Front Nine restricted following the intervention by forest officials.
The dispute centres on Land Reference Number 13134/3. KFS says approximately 21.8 hectares of the parcel encroach on Karura Forest, while the golf club maintains that it has a claim to the disputed land. The forest agency has said it intends to engage the club in an effort to resolve the disagreement.
In a strongly worded statement, Gachagua alleged that Ruto was using KFS to take over the golf course, accusing the President of expanding what he described as an appetite for land.
“Your appetite for land has now surpassed public land; you have now turned to private land,” Gachagua said.
He claimed that members of Muthaiga Golf Club had contacted him over the matter, alleging that senior KFS officials had arrived at the facility with dogs and declared part of the course to be within Karura Forest.
Gachagua further invoked the history of the club, arguing that successive administrations had not interfered with Muthaiga Golf Club.
“William Ruto must know that Muthaiga Golf Club has been in existence since before independence, before he was born,” he said.
He cited former presidents Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel arap Moi, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta, arguing that none had moved against Muthaiga Golf Club. Gachagua also accused the current administration of seeking to undermine the legacy of former President Kibaki.
The allegations, however, come amid a documented land and boundary dispute rather than an established finding that the government is attempting to seize the golf club.
KFS has publicly disputed the club’s position, saying its records do not establish a legal right for Muthaiga Golf Club to occupy the contested section of the gazetted forest reserve. The agency says Karura Forest was gazetted in 1932 and subsequently declared a Central Forest in 1964.
KFS has also referred to historical correspondence concerning the land leased for establishment of the golf course. According to the agency, records include a 1966 plan showing the extent of land leased to the club and later correspondence concerning proposed changes to the golf course boundary. KFS says the legal framework governing occupation of forest land changed following the enactment of the Forest Conservation and Management Act, 2007.
The club, meanwhile, temporarily closed Holes Two through Nine after KFS restricted access to the Front Nine. Club chairman Dennis Mwirigi said the board was working to resolve the matter, while the driving range and parking areas remained open.
Gachagua has nevertheless framed the dispute as part of a broader political confrontation with Ruto ahead of the 2027 General Election.
He warned KFS officials who he alleged were being used to target the club that they would face consequences after the next election, saying: “We shall do everything possible to stop you from grabbing Muthaiga Golf Club and other public and private land in the country.”
He also assured golfers that he would oppose what he described as attempts to take over golf courses.
“I want to assure all members of Muthaiga Golf Club that we shall not allow Mr. William Ruto to grab their land,” Gachagua said.
The former deputy president, who was removed from office through impeachment in October 2024, has since emerged as a prominent critic of the Ruto administration and leads the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP).
Gachagua concluded his statement with a biblical reference, asking the President to consider the Parable of the Rich Fool in Luke 12:13–21.
“How much is enough, Mr. William Ruto? Please give Kenyans some breathing space!” he said.
For now, the central issue remains the legal status and precise boundary of the disputed 21.8-hectare section. KFS and Muthaiga Golf Club are expected to engage over their competing claims, with the outcome likely to depend on historical survey records, title documents and the legally recognised boundary of Karura Forest.
