• The environmentalists say the four-lane expressway will ruin, among other open spaces, Uhuru Park and want the National Environment Tribunal to overturn the Nema decision.
• The Sh62 billion thoroughfare from Mlolongo and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to James Gichuru Road junction in Westlands is fully funded by a Chinese company.
Conservation organisations have challenged the National Environment Management Authority's decision to authorise the construction of a 27-kilometre expressway to ease traffic in Nairobi.
The organisations that have coalesced into Daima consortium, say the four-lane expressway will ruin, among other open spaces, Uhuru Park and want the National Environment Tribunal to overturn the Nema decision.
The Sh62 billion thoroughfare from Mlolongo and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to James Gichuru Road junction in Westlands is fully funded by a Chinese firm.
Daima says already there is extensive clearing of trees on Mombasa Road.
In their petition filed on June 2, the Daima entities - Wangari Maathai Foundation, Green Belt Movement, Purpose Climate Lab, Natural Justice and Wildlife Direct, Dandora Community Justice Centre, Natural Justice and Katiba Institute - say Nema granted the licence without allowing adequate public participation.
They say the environmental impact assessment by the developer was insufficient. According to them, the developer did not consider alternative plans.
Further, it is their argument that Nema did not impose restrictions necessary to limit the ecological impact of the expressway.
“Our development options must be within the law and all decisions need to be informed by adequate public participation to ensure sustainability. We have every confidence that the tribunal will consider our appeal in a manner that upholds the law,” Mark Odaga of Natural Justice said.
Daima advocates for the protection of green spaces in Kenya's urban centres.
A spirited campaign by the Green Belt Movement, Wangari Maathai Foundation and other conservation and rights organisations recently forced the Kenya National Highways Authority to roll back the push for the expressway.
The organisations were assured that the design of the road had been changed not affect Uhuru Park.
Despite the assurance, the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Study Report still avers that there will be significant impacts on Uhuru Park and other ecologically sensitive areas around the Chiromo, Nyayo Stadium and Railways Golf Club interchanges.
The mixed messages are reflected in an October 2019 government statement asserting that the 23 metres of Uhuru Park to be hived off for the project were part of Uhuru Highway road reserve.
The expressway is a Public/Private Partnership involving China Road and Bridge Construction Corporation Kenya.
The CRBC will finance, build and operate the tolled road for 30 years during which it will recoup its costs (with interest) before transferring it to KeNHA.
Uhuru Park is a unique, historical, central park, gazetted in 1969. It is the largest people’s park in Nairobi and provides recreation to thousands of city residents.
Nairobi is a fast-growing city whose population is estimated to hit the 5 million mark by 2025.
"This population growth will increase demand for, and appreciation of green spaces in the city. Our green spaces that include forests and parks remain the most cherished and accessible recreational facilities and vital safety valves for ordinary citizens to rejuvenate and relax.
"Ecologically they (green spaces) serve as the lungs for over five million Kenyans shielding them from the silent killer of the day-air pollution," Daima maintains.
The organisation is worried that the few available green spaces in Nairobi face encroachment, degradation, and grabbing.
"With the diminishing green spaces, coupled with unchecked developments, nature lovers are worried that the city will never maintain its status as the Green City in the sun.
“Conservation of Uhuru Park among other green spaces honours the legacy of Professor Wangari Maathai, and embodies the courage to stand up for one's beliefs, one of the core values on which Green Belt Movement is anchored," GBM’s deputy director Wycliffe Matika says.
Daima says the country can’t afford to compromise on green space. Ecologically they serve as the lungs for over five million Kenyans, shielding them from air pollution, today's silent killer.
“We cannot compromise or sacrifice the green spaces in our cities at this critical time,” head of campaigns at Wangari Maathai Foundation and Daima Consortium co-ordinator Elizabeth Wathuti states.
- mwaniki fm