The ongoing renovations at Uhuru Park have been halted.

The Environment and Lands Court issued a directive stopping the renovation of the park pending hearing and determination of a petition.

Communist Party of Kenya moved to court to petition the renovation of Uhuru Park, arguing that Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) and County Assembly of Nairobi are destroying the flora and fauna at the park by cutting down the trees.

“The 1st Respondent has also initiated a process of replacing the green lawn of grass at the Park with concrete cement blocks, an action which, unless stalled by this Court, will greatly degrade the botanical and environmental qualities of the Park to the detriment of Nairobi residents who have been the greatest beneficiaries of the same,” court papers read.

The party also argued that NMS and Nairobi County Assembly intend to destroy historic sites in the park after destroying the historic pavilion at Uhuru Park.

Read More

  1. State scrambles to recover 900 missing birth certificates in fresh 'clerical blunder'
  2. Reprieve as EPRA announces significant drop in fuel pump prices in latest review
  3. Ministry of Health probes reports of adverse reactions to polio vaccine

They also said the project did not involve public participation before the commencement of the project and was also done in secret.

The petitioner also said the park has been blocked from the public and efforts to access information on the project from the respondents have hit a snag.

"The project is shrouded in secrecy, where the whole Park has been blocked from the public, and all attempts by the Petitioner to gain information on the Project from the 1st and 2nd Respondents have failed," the court document read in part.

Further, the petitioner wants the court to order the reinstatement of the park to its former state, including the main pavilion, grass and trees.

Due to the project, Processional Way and other pathways crossing Uhuru Park have been closed to the public without notice.