A fresh standoff is building around plans linked to Kenya Wildlife Service to establish an animal orphanage inside Nairobi National Park, with civil society groups warning they will intensify resistance over what they see as a threat to the protected ecosystem.
Friends of Nairobi National Park (FoNNaP) on Tuesday said they are preparing to use all legal and civic options to block the project, insisting the proposal risks weakening the ecological balance of the 117-square-kilometre park located near Nairobi’s central business district.
The group argues that the park remains a rare global conservation site, being the only national park in the world that borders a capital city, and plays a central role in safeguarding wildlife, biodiversity and natural heritage for future generations.
They stressed that any decision affecting the park must be fully open to public scrutiny and backed by inclusive participation.
“Any plans that threaten its integrity must be subjected to meaningful public participation, environmental scrutiny and full transparency. Decisions concerning protected public resources cannot be made without the informed consent and involvement of the people of Kenya.”
The latest pushback follows a demonstration held on Monday, where six organisations came together to oppose the planned development. The groups included Friends of Nairobi National Park, Just Act, United Green Movement Party, The Green Belt Movement, Amnesty International Kenya and Greenpeace Africa.
The protest, which remained largely peaceful, ended with the arrest of nine individuals, among them former Chief Justice David Maraga.
The organisations condemned the arrests, saying the response to the demonstration amounted to suppression of lawful civic expression and peaceful assembly.
They further claimed that the treatment of protesters reflects a worrying pattern of shrinking civic space, especially when citizens raise concerns about environmental and governance decisions affecting public resources.
FoNNaP and its partners called for the immediate release of those arrested and urged authorities to respect constitutional rights, including peaceful assembly, expression and participation in public affairs.
They maintained that the proposed project should not proceed in its current form, insisting that Nairobi National Park must remain fully protected from developments they consider intrusive.
“Our public spaces, our environment and our rights cannot be traded away behind closed doors. This is about more than land. It is about power, accountability, transparency and the right of people to be heard,” the organisations said.
“When citizens raise concerns about decisions that may permanently alter a national treasure, the response of the state must be engagement and accountability, not arrests, violence and repression.”
They added that development plans must never override environmental protection, cultural heritage or the interests of future generations, arguing that alternative locations for the orphanage exist outside the park.
The dispute has already moved to court. On April 29, FoNNaP’s partners, Just Act and Kituo Cha Sheria, filed a petition at the Environment and Land Court challenging the planned allocation of land within the park.
In their case, they argue that the animal orphanage can be established elsewhere in the city or in other parts of the country without affecting the protected area, while still achieving the intended conservation and public benefit goals.