Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has penned a letter to Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale demanding an explanation over the continued closure of Uhuru National Park.
In the letter dated February 17, Sifuna lifted the lid over a previous meeting he held with the CS and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja over the rehabilitation works.
The meeting held in October last year had concluded that the facility needed to be reopened as soon as possible following completion of repair works.
"At a meeting between the Nairobi Governor, myself and the KDF personnel in charge of the refurbishment of Uhuru Park held on October 13, 2023, at the Facility, it was confirmed that indeed all works had been completed and that the facility would be opened to the public in December 2023," recalled the Senator.
"Close to four months later the facility remains inaccessible occasioning great inconvenience to the residents of Nairobi and to the thousands of visitors the city receives on a daily basis."
Sifuna, as a result, wants the CS to explain whether repair works are still ongoing as well as if the facility was handed over to the county government.
He also wants to know when Nairobians can expect to return to the park and the factors that are stopping the facility from being reopened.
At the tail-end of October last year, Duale told the press that the contractor undertaking the project was finalising repairs and the national government would hand over the facility to the county in due course.
Similar meetings had taken place a few months before with similar outcomes.
Our earlier report indicated that the facility, which features modern amenities, was expected to officially open its doors on December 12.
Anastasia Nyaliti, the Nairobi County Executive for Inclusivity, Public Participation, and Customer Service, had noted that the official opening of the park was to coincide with the second edition of the Nairobi Festival.
The facility was closed in 2021 for renovations.
