This archive report was first published on 19 June 2020.
On June 10, 2020, the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) took over City Park from the Nairobi County Government, marking a significant step towards reclaiming the public facility from land grabbers.
Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko announced that the government would repossess all grabbed land, including a hotel run by a former senior official of the Nairobi County Government.
CS Tobiko lamented that some entities had profiteered from the public facility, saying, “Some entities have no conscience. They think that they are very smart by acquiring public land. You cannot have a valid title for public land,” he said.
The government has ordered businesses operating in the park to shut down, and KFS has deployed rangers to secure the area.
CS Tobiko stated that the government would soon fence off City Park to boost security, but members of the public would continue to access it free of charge.
“City Park is monumental to the history of Kenya and war veterans such as Vice President Joseph Murumbi and his wife and Pio Gama Pinto were laid to rest here,” he said.
The government aims to recover over 1,000 acres from individuals in Ngong Forest, with Environment CS Tobiko warning those who have acquired land from the forest to surrender their title deeds.
