Save Nairobi
National Park
NNP was formed in 1946 when the indigineous Maasai saw a rapidly growing Nairobi city and wanted to preserve wildlife and their habitats with which they closely identify with. Apart of being home to several endangered species such as the black rhino, Rothschild and Maasai Giraffe, Secretary birds and the critically endangered local population of wildebeests, the park is home to 30+ lions, buffalo, impala, white rhinos and hundreds of species of birds. Though being relatively small, the park has diverse landscapes such as savannahs, grasslands, forested and swamp areas. The park acts as a vital carbon sink to the highly populated city.
Sadly over the years, encroachment, land grabbing and infrastructural development have led to the park being threatened. The government proposed a management plan that would see hotels, spas, helipad, a directors home constructed and the park fenced off from the Maasai community that have lived for hundreds of years with wildlife.
Given the covid situation, we could not hold public protests and we used social media to raise awareness, partnering with Extinction rebellion and Fridays for Future we were able to reach out to a large audience with youths from all over Africa joining in to give their voices. We took part in stakeholder meetings and asked that the community be allowed to participate. This led the campaign featured in several international media outlets and trending on social media.
Activists filed a petition in court to stop any construction in the park and eventually all plans were halted. A member from the community was appointed as part of the task force to map out existing corridors. We are glad to have been part of this as it laid out a precedent of what happens to our green spaces in Kenya and Africa at large.
