The Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli has called for the dissolution of the Nairobi National Park to pave the way for other infrastructural projects and the expansion of the capital city, Nairobi.
While addressing the media on Sunday, Atwoli made the suggestions while responding to Karen residents who have been opposing the 12.5-kilometre railway line that is set to connect Riruta and Ngong. Atwoli asserted that there is a need to sacrifice some establishments, such as parks and forests, for economic growth and decogestion of the city.
The COTU boss said that the national park should be dissolved and all animals in it transferred to other prominent parks such as the Maasai Mara National Park.
According to Atwoli, the accelerating population rate of the country's capital raises the urgency to create more spaces to accommodate additional infrastructure, such as roads and industrial parks, among others, to support the growing number of people.
According to the COTU boss, these are some of the transition phases some of the developed countries have gone through to achieve the drastic economic progress they have accomplished.
"Even the national park, where we have animals, must be used to develop Nairobi. We need a new Nairobi with roads, facilities, and proper industrial parks because it is only Nairobi that has not been decongested in Africa," Atwoli said.
"We must expand Nairobi through that National park, and we should take those animals to the Maasai Mara and make sure that Nairobi reflects an international city. You can't say that because Nairobi is the only city that has a National park should remain there," he added.
Established in 1946, the Nairobi National Park has for decades stood out as one of the iconic establishments within the city, making it the only park in the entire world to have this characteristic, receiving thousands of tourists every year.
This statement by Atwoli comes at a time when the government has expressed a commitment to elevate the park's infrastructure to attract more tourists.
According to the Tourism Cabinet Secretary, Rebecca Miano, the government is set to create new entry points into the park in a bid to attract more visitors and decongest the main entrance of the park.
"These enhancements are part of our commitment to creating a world-class experience for you while preserving the park’s incredible wildlife," the CS said in a statement on Monday, May 19.
"The surge in visitor numbers is a testament to Kenya’s growing appeal as a premier tourism and conference destination, driven by the ongoing international meetings in Nairobi and the successful marketing efforts," she added.
