Former Chief Justice David Maraga was among several people arrested on Monday morning during a protest against ongoing construction works inside Nairobi National Park.
Maraga was taken into police custody shortly after joining activists, environmentalists and lobby groups who had gathered near the park to oppose a planned infrastructure project that has sparked public debate over conservation and land use.
Videos circulating online showed the former Chief Justice being escorted into a police vehicle alongside other demonstrators as police moved in to disperse the protest. Reports indicated that at least nine other protesters were also arrested during the operation.
The demonstration centred on concerns over ongoing works within the park, where conservation groups claim sections of protected land are being cleared to pave the way for new developments.
It has been reported that works are currently being done on about 76 acres of indigenous upland forest in the Nairobi National Park. This work is being done by the Kenya Wildlife Services with clearance from the National Environment Management Authority which gave permission to turn a portion of the park into a low use conservation area.
Among the things to be done here include moving the Nairobi Animal Orphanage to a new compound in the park where better animal enclosures and hospital facilities for the animals shall be constructed as well as an eight-acre parking space for the orphanage and the Bomas International Convention Center (BICC).
A pedestrian bridge joining the park and the convention center is among the other features of the development project.
Both environmental organizations and individuals claim that clearing portions of the park will have serious consequences for fragile ecosystems and the goals of conservation in this particular area.
According to former BBC journalist Ian Wafula, the equipment of some media representatives who were reporting on the protest action was confiscated during the coverage of the event.
“While we found evidence of construction ongoing in Nairobi National Park, we were simply told to confiscate our drone. Protest actions by lobby groups and environmentalists are currently ongoing over the construction activities being done in the park,” Wafula said.
Environmental lobby groups have continued opposing the developments legally and politically. Friends of Nairobi National Park have already submitted their petition to the Senate and have initiated litigation in court regarding irregularities in the approval procedure and insufficient public involvement.
The arrest of Mr. Maraga has become another addition to his numerous protests organized ever since he retired from office in January 2021.
Recently, Maraga has actively participated in various protests against increasing femicides, protests organized by young people against police violence and kidnapping, and other
