Atwoli Proposes Removal Of Nairobi National Park
Atwoli made the remarks in response to opposition from Karen residents over a planned 12.5-kilometre railway line linking Riruta to Ngong.
Viral Tea Ke Writer 
Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli has stirred controversy by calling for the closure and scrapping of Nairobi National Park to make room for infrastructure development and the expansion of Nairobi City.
Speaking to the press on Sunday, June 22, Atwoli made the remarks in response to opposition from Karen residents over a planned 12.5-kilometre railway line linking Riruta to Ngong.
He argued that for the sake of economic progress and easing congestion in the capital, spaces like parks and forests might need to be sacrificed.
Atwoli proposed relocating all wildlife from Nairobi National Park to larger reserves like the Maasai Mara, suggesting the land could be better used for essential developments.
COTU Secretary-General Francis Atwoli during a past address. /CAPITAL GROUP
He emphasised that with Nairobi’s rapidly growing population, there’s a pressing need to free up land for new infrastructure projects—including roads, industrial parks, and more—to meet the demands of the expanding urban population.
Atwoli argued that such changes are part of the transitional steps many developed nations had to take on their path to significant economic growth.
"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.
Adding "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."
Founded in 1946, Nairobi National Park has long been a unique landmark, famously known as the only wildlife park in the world located within a capital city. It attracts thousands of tourists annually due to this rare distinction.
Numerous attempts have been made to expand Kenya's capital into the national park, but this has only created a conflict between conservation and socioeconomic interests. In recent years, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has bowed to pressure from other government departments and allowed Chinese firms to construct a new highway and a railway line through the park.
A 2015 report warned that human activity was causing serious harm to Nairobi National Park, describing the situation as "hazardous to the preservation of wildlife." It highlighted the growing impact of invasive and non-native species, which hinder the natural regeneration of native plants and limit food availability for wild animals. More recently, the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International labelled invasive species as a "serious and escalating issue" throughout Kenya.
Still, the most critical threat to the park’s future is the loss of wildlife dispersal zones. Communities living along the park’s southern border are increasingly selling off their once vast open lands for housing developments, driven by the lure of high property prices.
Atwoli’s remarks come even as the government has shown interest in upgrading Nairobi National Park’s infrastructure to boost tourism.
Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano recently announced plans to introduce additional entry points to the park, aiming to draw more visitors and ease congestion at the main gate.
Entrance to the Nairobi National Park. /KENYA WILDLIFE SERVICE
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