Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has criticised Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli for suggesting that the Nairobi National Park should be replaced with apartment blocks.
Speaking in Kakamega on Friday July 25, Sifuna questioned why Atwoli was being selfish by denying the younger generation the chance to enjoy the scenery as he and his family once did.
"I have an eight-year-old daughter, and she was asking me, 'Why does Atwoli want the animals to be removed from the National Park, yet we love those animals?'," Sifuna said.
"I wanted Atwoli to be here to ask him this question: why do you want the Nairobi National Park to be removed after you had an opportunity to take your wives children and grandchildren, and now that you are old, why don't you want the younger generation to enjoy the same," the Senator boldly asked infronted of the ODM party leader Raila Odinga.
The COTU SG had elicited mixed reactions after he urged the government to initiate the expansion of Nairobi City to address congestion and accommodate the growing population.
Among his proposals, Atwoli wants the Nairobi County to repossess the currently occupied land by Nairobi National Park for development.
“We must use the national park land around Nairobi. We must take those animals to the Maasai Mara,” he proposed, adding that the space could be used to grow the city and enhance its global image.
Atwoli urged that the city needed transformation, even though it is the only city with a national park; he suggested that it was time to do away with it for expansion to take place.
Although the Nairobi County is yet to respond to Atwoli's proposal, it remains to be seen where it will be adopted. If adopted, Nairobi would lose one of the features that make it stand out as a city with a national park.
Atwoli, who was in the same event as Sifuna, did not get the opportunity to defend his remarks as he had already left.
In the event, ODM politics took centre stage, with different leaders, including Raila, the party leader, calling for the party's unity.
Speaking at the event, Atwoli urged Kenyans to listen to Raila, alleging that the former Prime Minister makes no mistakes as his steps are always calculated.
