The heat in the debate about the route of the brand-new Standard Gauge Railway to run through Nairobi National Park is becoming more intense, clearer and the mood turning out to be more exciting as consultations are being made to different lawyers to put an end at the forthcoming project which will be launched on 26th September 2016 by President Kenyatta.
One of the regular conservation sources based in Nairobi said on condition of anonymity that there is no Environmental Impact Assessment Study (EIA) available for any route to go through Nairobi National park, or any other national park. This, our source added is an evident violation of the National law so they are currently seeking advice on how to handle it.
They add that all efforts should be centered on ensuring that this launch doesn’t happen since it will bring about bias among NEMA officials who might not wish to oppose the government and let themselves be used simply as ‘rubber stamps’. This message must be passed on to the international conservation fraternity to help put an end to this madness. As a country, Tanzania can’t on one hand go and demand for a total ban on the trade of Ivory from CITES and yet on the other hand go ahead and destroy the treasure of Nairobi which is the only national park in the world located within the limits a capital city.
What is most worrying is that no government official not even the Kenya Railways has seriously considered the proposals to entire bypass this national park. Although it could be more costly, however think about the cost of completely ignoring conservation in the future to come. Incase this park is separated into two halves then what next will encroach on it, a housing estate, power lines, or other pipelines.
A number of others people compared this situation with that of the Serengeti Highway debate, that cost dearly the country with regards to conservation status and when particularly the Chairperson of the Kenya Wildlife Service entered into the limelight, as he proposed construction of a bridge to be constructed over Serengeti National Park.
This fanatic idea was rapidly shun down by several equally respected conservationists, leaving the reputation of Leakey damaged and his deal to have a comparable atrocity constructed through Nairobi National Park has more furious conservation enthusiastic Kenyans. Today there are more and more Demands for him to step down for failing to uphold conservation principles as well as giving in to what one said to be the ‘highest-bidder’ before adding on that Conservation must never be sold and that’s just what Leakey is currently.
other people actually pleaded to have this matter publicized through eTurboNews as well as ATC News blog vigorously just as it was with the Serengeti Highway project which was exposed a couple of years back on those forums. This eventually led to an international conservation tsunami in order to save Serengeti National Park and although a temporary relief was obtained through a court order by the East African Court of Justice that fight isn’t yet over.
Currently everyone is on the watch to see whether this routing will go through Nairobi National Park or bypass it given all the negative consequences that have been pointed out by different conversationalist.
For more information and updated about the progress in Nairobi National Park, please visit adventureugandasafari.com
