• The restoration of the park is proceeding with astounding speed. Hopes are high that it will open to the public at the end of June.
• With funds from the treasury, KFS has erected a perimeter fence, laid 2.4 km of walkway, planted 4200 seedlings, constructed new toilets, and laid out a large nursery, which will supply indigenous trees to Nairobi.
The entrance to Michuki Memorial Park from Kijabe street is a muddy mess. Earth moving machines are churning up the soil. But 50 metres inside, it is a scene of beauty and industriousness.
Over 120 youth are hard at work, laying grass and constructing gabions to stabilize the banks of Nairobi River, which wends its way through the park, which lies between Museum Hill and Kipande Road. The water is relatively clean.
“We went all the way to the source at Ondiri swamp, sensitizing communities,” said Dr Clement Ng’orianeng, the Kenya Forest Service officer leading the repairs and restoration. “We did it as agencies, KFS, NEMA and others. We even went up the tributaries like in Kawangare.”
The 26-acre park was handed to KFS in April, one of several green spaces in Nairobi that will now be under central government. City Park and Michuki Memorial Park will become “urban forests” and follow the model of the wildly successful Karura forest, which has been safe, self-sustaining and heavily frequented by walkers, runners and nature lovers for a decade.
“I have heard the Minister say that the entry fee will be something that is subsidized to allow as many Kenyans to afford it as possible,” said Ng’orianeng. KFS has met with surrounding neighborhoods to begin talks on creating a Community Forest Association.
He said the changes began when President Uhuru caught sight of the park from the studio of K24 in Mediamax where he was being interviewed.
“The President looked down and said, ‘what is happening here?’ He walked into the park and instructed the Minister of Environment to take action. It was hide out for thieves, completely insecure, full of stolen items, and with many dogs living here”.
The late John Michuki, then Minister of the Environment, created the park in 2008 by clearing a vast dumpsite. Much was done, a walking bridge was built across the Nairobi River and forest planted. But when functions were devolved to the county in 2013, “it lost its lustre,” says Ng’orianeng.
“We expected them to improve it. They were closer to the facility. But it was abandoned. It was lack of prioritization.”
The restoration of the park is proceeding with astounding speed. Hopes are high that it will open to the public at the end of June.
With funds from the treasury, KFS has erected a perimeter fence, laid 2.4 km of walkway, planted 4200 seedlings, constructed new toilets, and laid out a large nursery, which will supply indigenous trees to Nairobi. The park itself is a haven of biodiversity. An as yet unreleased study by Kenya Forestry Research Institute found 88 trees species.
Plans are afoot for a café and amphitheater in the park, and a place where worshipers can pray.
Many stakeholders are visiting the park to cheer it on. On 15 June Dr Susan Chomba and Cathy Watson of World Agroforestry (ICRAF) donated seedlings of three Kenyan trees --Mutati, Muguchua and Mwerere
“With COVID-19 forcing lockdown, it is going to be increasingly important to have these green spaces in urban areas where people can take a walk and rejuvenate with nature,” said social scientist Chomba.
“We always say that restoring parks and green spaces can create jobs for city youth. Here it is happening!” said Watson, Chief of Partnerships.