The Environment and Land Court in Nairobi has barred the government from constructing a proposed car park within the Nairobi Animal Orphanage, extending a legal battle over infrastructure development inside the protected Nairobi National Park.
Justice Grace Kemei issued the orders prohibiting contractors from clearing vegetation, cutting trees, excavating, grading land, erecting fences or undertaking construction in the disputed area while the case proceeds.
The ruling follows a petition backed by 4,642 Kenyans challenging plans to relocate the animal orphanage and develop a parking facility, access road and pedestrian bridge linked to the redevelopment of Bomas of Kenya.
The petitioners argue that the proposed infrastructure threatens wildlife habitats and would convert protected conservation land to other uses without meeting the legal requirements governing environmental protection and public participation.
The court’s latest orders preserve the disputed area from further development as it considers the legality of the projects.
The proposed car park is intended to accommodate about 1,300 vehicles on approximately eight acres of land. The wider project includes an access road and a pedestrian bridge connecting the facilities to Bomas of Kenya, which is undergoing redevelopment into an international convention centre.
The petitioners, including conservation groups, have questioned whether the development complies with environmental and wildlife conservation laws. They contend that the affected land falls within a low-use conservation zone under the Nairobi National Park Management Plan 2020–2030, where conservation remains a central consideration.
They have also challenged the adequacy of the environmental impact assessment and the public participation process, seeking to have the relevant approvals declared unlawful.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has maintained that relocating the Nairobi Animal Orphanage is necessary because the existing facility cannot adequately accommodate the increasing number of injured, orphaned and displaced wild animals, as well as growing visitor numbers.
It has proposed a new facility with larger animal enclosures, a wildlife hospital, veterinary services and additional rehabilitation space. The plan has nevertheless drawn opposition from environmentalists concerned about vegetation clearance and the conversion of protected parkland to infrastructure.
The dispute has already prompted protests, including one on June 8, when police used tear gas and arrested demonstrators, among them former Chief Justice David Maraga, who opposed the proposed developments.
