Sifuna Raises 4 Questions Over 3-Year Closure Of Uhuru Park

Nairobi Senator, Edwin Sifuna on Monday, February 19 penned a letter to Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale seeking answers as to why Uhuru Park has been closed for nearly three years.

In the letter dated February 17, Sifuna uncovered details of a meeting held between himself, the CS and the Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja over the rehabilitation works.

The meeting held in October 2023 resolved that the facility needed to be reopened as soon as possible once the rehabilitation works were complete.

Inside the refurbished Uhuru Park in Nairobi. /NMS

"At a meeting between the Nairobi Governor, myself and the KDF personnel in charge of the refurbishment of Uhuru Park held on 13th October 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," recounted the Senator.

Sifuna raised questions regarding the city's most popular park remaining out of reach to Kenyans despite an initial promise to reopen the park in December 2023 following a meeting with the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) which was tasked with carrying out the renovation exercise.

He lamented that this was causing inconveniences amongst Nairobi residents as well as thousands of visitors transiting through the city every day.

"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. Following numerous complaints reaching my office, I write to you to kindly confirm the following," he added.

Sifuna then sought clarification as to whether or not there are still ongoing works at the facility and whether the facility has been officially handed back to the County Government.

He also wants to know what underlying issues continue to delay the return of the park to public use by Nairobi residents and when the residents can expect to resume use of the park.

Duale told the press at the end of October 2023 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.

This comes after Viral Tea reported on November 23, 2023, that Uhuru Park would be officially reopened on December 12, 2023, after a two-year closure for purposes of renovation works by KDF.

Anastasia Nyalita, County Executive, Inclusivity, Public participation and Customer Service, revealed that the reopening would take place alongside the 2nd edition of the Nai Fest (Nairobi Festival).

However, after the festival concluded, the park was still yet to be made available for public use, as per our numerous spot checks.

Kenyans have been unable to access the park since 2021 following renovations undertaken by the defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) in conjunction with the military. However, the Park has been opened temporarily on several occasions.