Environmentalists protest over plan to relocate Nairobi Animal Orphanage

Nairobi Animal Orphanage. [File Courtesy] Environmentalists have opposed the plan to relocate an animal orphanage from Nairobi National Park to a new site near Bomas Centre. However, Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) has defended its decision to move the orphanage to the new 90-acre land, saying it was approved by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA). The environmentalists alleged that the relocation of the facility by KWS was a plot to cover up the construction of a parking lot at Bomas International Conference Centre designed for 1,300 vehicles. In the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report to NEMA, KWS indicated its intention to relocate and upgrade the Nairobi Animal Orphanage to include spacious naturalistic animal enclosures and modern veterinary and quarantine services, among other needs. However, the EIA report in our possession states that "A modern car parking facility will be constructed adjacent to the orphanage entrance with access from Bomas of Kenya to accommodate a bigger car park, ensuring orderly traffic flow and minimising congestion at Nairobi National Park and KWS Headquarters." The project that commenced on Tuesday this week has met stiff opposition from the Friends of Nairobi National Park, Public Interest Litigation and Advocacy for the Environment (PILEA), among other activists, following the massive degradation of the natural vegetation. "We have obtained photos and videos showing the felling of trees and bush clearing began on March 21. We call for a halt to the project to prevent irreversible damage to one of the park's most sensitive habitats," a statement from the Friends of National Park," said Akshay Vishwanath, the Executive Director at PILAE. Mr Akshay and Ms Sharon Sitienei of the Friends of the Park (FoNNaP) question the need for a large parking bay at the animal orphanage, as it does not attract that many vehicles, unless the intent was to serve the Bomas Centre. They said the EIA report had initially documented the use of 60 acres to be hived off for the purpose, while the EIA licence issued by NEMA approved the use of 31 hectares of land, plus an additional 22 acres for building a corridor connecting the Bomas Centre with the current Nairobi Safari Walk. Akshay suspects foul play in the discrepancy of 39 acres between the EIA report and the issued licence. In a meeting convened by KWS in October last year, Vishwanath said there were commitments to provide follow-up documents related to site maps, site selection reports, biodiversity baselines, traffic and financial analyses, and education/outreach plans, which have not been provided as promised to the stakeholders. "Despite repeated reminders and follow-up letters spearheaded by Friends of Nairobi National Park, including official requests to KWS and NEMA, nothing had been availed," said Akshay. In February 2026, it was revealed that the EIA report had been finalised and the EIA licence had been secretly issued in December 2025. The minutes of the October 2025 meeting had been doctored to remove any mention of this parking lot serving the BICC, and only questions and comments related to the animal orphanage were documented. Sitienei alleges that bush clearing commenced on March 21, calling for the halting of the project with immediate effect to prevent irreversible damage to the park hosting the sensitive habitats. "The official EIA report and EIA licence for the Bomas Centre and the parking bay are not available publicly, as there were no public consultations conducted during the design phase of the projects," said Sitienei. He added that the legitimacy of the development is dubious after the auditor general, in February 2026, declared it irregularly procured. "The issue clearly demonstrates the government's intention to hive off land from a protected area in a manner that flouts the law and is deliberately misleading and dishonest to the Kenyan public," said Akshay, an executive director of PILAE. Sitienei observed that if the current orphanage site were restored, it would not be habitable to the animals. "There is a need to protect the park for long-term survival as a functioning ecosystem," added Sitienei, a Programs Officer of FoNNaP. KWS's corporate department admitted that the existence of the relocation programme of the animal orphanage is in line with the expansion of the facility, targeting more visitors. "It is not just a relocation but a strategic relocation closer to Bomas where visitors will not labour to travel but just walk in and see the animals within the orphanage," KWS replied when reached for comments.

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