The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has dismissed asserts that it blocked activists from accessing Nairobi National Park during a court-ordered site visit on July 21. Speaking exclusively to on July 23, KWS Communications Officer Duncan Wanyama stated the visit was not obstructed and that rangers were simply enforcing standard safety protocols within the park. Wanyama stated Nairobi National Park is not an ordinary public space but a protected ecosystem where wild animals roam freely, making it necessary for visitors to comply with established safety guidelines.
The activists had toured the park as part of a court-ordered inspection by the Environment and Land Court in a case challenging the proposed Bomas International Convention Complex project. According to KWS, the restrictions enforced during the visit were standard safety measures for all visitors and were not intended to prevent access. “First, Nairobi National Park is not an ordinary public space.
It is a protected wildlife ecosystem with free-ranging animals, some of which are dangerous. Some rules and procedures exist for one reason only: to protect human life,”Wanyama stated. According to Wanyama, that is why every visitor to the park must be accompanied by trained rangers and licensed guides.
He questioned whether any wildlife park anywhere in the world allows visitors to walk freely among dangerous animals without supervision. Wanyama maintained that the safety protocols enforced at Nairobi National Park are standard practice in protected wildlife areas around the world. He added that everyone who complied with the rangers' instructions accessed the inspection site without incident.
According to Wanyama, this was evident from media coverage of the visit, which was attended by more than 20 media houses, disputing claims that KWS officers harassed those present. The inspection arose from a petition filed by 4,642 challenging proposed infrastructure developments within Nairobi National Park. The Environment and Land Court in Milimani had directed that the site visit proceed with representatives from all parties in attendance.
Wanyama said the court order provided for nine representatives to participate in the inspection, but Friends of Nairobi National Park (FoNNaP) arrived with an additional representative, their lawyer, bringing the total to 10. He said this disagreement over the number of participants contributed to the standoff, insisting that KWS was enforcing the court's directions rather than preventing anyone from accessing the park. FoNNaP had earlier accused KWS officers of intimidating co-petitioners and attempting to eject them from the inspection site.
Wanyama rejected the allegations, claiming some of the conduct witnessed during the visit appeared intended to provoke a confrontation and create the impression that KWS had dismissed access.