Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale informed the Senate on Wednesday that the newly-renovated Uhuru and Central parks would no longer serve as venues for political rallies.
The recreational parks, closed to the public in March 2022 to facilitate restoration by the Kenya Defence Forces and the now-defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services, were the subject of Duale’s update to senators on their renovation status.
Duale stated that once reopened, at a date yet to be confirmed, the park would be off-limits for political events.
“That park will never again be used by politicians to address rallies; it is out of bounds. The political class will look for another venue. Uhuru and Central parks belong to Kenyans,” Duale said.
The CS highlighted that the military officers engaged in the parks’ facelift undertook various tasks, including rehabilitating green spaces, restoring monuments, improving infrastructure, and enhancing security by erecting fences and installing a visitor management system.
However, he noted that the renovation is unfinished, citing pending water and drainage connections.
The minister stated that his ministry is collaborating with the Nairobi County Government to finalize the installation of water connections.
“The construction work at Uhuru Park is practically complete as per the contract, however, we have 8 per cent pending works. We are signing an MoU with the County Government of Nairobi and in less than three weeks, they will fix them,” Duale said.
“We were waiting for the construction of the main drainage along Uhuru Highway by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KENHA). KENHA has assured that construction will be completed soon.”
