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Nairobi’s Building Boom Threatens National Park

Nairobi has enjoyed a construction boom over the past five years.

Updated on

April 1, 2014

The Nairobi National Park faces irreversible impacts from the construction boom of recent years, which threatens to destroy the unique natural treasures of the tourist attraction.

A senior official at the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) who requested anonymity because he had not been authorised to speak on record told CK that huge construction projects had a direct negative impact on the ecosystem of this conservation area.

“The upswing of the economy brings its challenges, such as human settlements encroaching on protected areas. So the encroachment of the park comes from high-class settlements and the slums that follow them,” he said.

Nairobi has enjoyed a construction boom over the past five years brought about by increasing urbanization and population growth. This has fuelled demand for both residential and commercial property – leading to high land prices in the capital.

The Nairobi Southern Bypass, which was officially launched by President Mwai Kibaki in early 2012, has been cited by lobby groups as one of the projects that pose a great danger to the wildlife in the national park.

In June 2012, the project met with fierce opposition from Friends of the Nairobi National Park (FoNNP), who said construction of the road that allegedly passed through the national park would put other national parks at risk of development.

The lobby group successfully petitioned the National Environmental Tribunal to stop the government from commencing construction works on the areas in dispute. The issue was later resolved.

Property analysts say sky-high land prices in Nairobi are forcing Kenya’s middle class to seek affordable land on the outskirts of the city.

The nomadic Maasai, who own large parcels of land around the national park, have in the last few years subdivided and sold their land to developers eager to build.

Established in 1946, the Nairobi National Park is the world’s only natural game park situated next to a city. It offers a chance for tourists to enjoy game drives and view Kenya’s famed wildlife without travelling out of the city.