It was agreed at the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, November 11 that more public land would be allocated to create a protected corridor linking Nairobi National Park to the Athi-Kapiti plains in Machakos and Kajiado.
This route is part of the ancient migratory path where herds of zebra, wildebeest, and gazelles once roamed across southern Kenya.
The statement released after the meeting said the corridor, when developed, will help restore these important links that have been slowly choked off by Nairobi’s expansion.
“To further the nation’s conservation priorities, Cabinet approved the implementation of the Nairobi National Park–Athi-Kapiti Wildlife Corridor to secure critical migratory routes and dispersal areas vital for the survival of Kenya’s wildlife,” the statement read.
The move follows a July 2023 directive by President William Ruto, urging immediate steps to prevent habitat loss and reduce the growing number of human-wildlife conflicts around the borders of the park.
Building estates, factories, and roads have been creeping closer towards the park in the last decade and have cut across the animals’ routes, forcing them into nearby farms and villages. In places, lions have been seen straying into residential estates while antelopes and zebras now graze perilously close to speeding traffic.
This will be achieved through the reservation of portions of public lands, including parts of the Export Processing Zone, to KWS for conservation. In addition to this, other proposals include wildlife-friendly fencing and underpasses and overpasses that will enable animals to cross the roads safely.
Construction is due to begin during the 2026/2027 financial year and will take three years. The government promises it will engage in close collaboration with conservation interest groups, while exploring novel funding opportunities such as nature bonds and debt-for-nature swaps to finance the project.
The initiative ties in with Kenya’s Vision 2030 and the 2016 Wildlife Corridors and Dispersal Areas Report, calling for long-term solutions to balance development with biodiversity.
To many conservationists, this decision feels almost like a breath of hope.
“If we don’t keep these pathways open, Nairobi National Park will be a zoo with fencing instead of a living ecosystem,” said a KWS ranger who has worked in the park for 15 years. “Animals don’t understand borders they follow the grass, the rain, the seasons. This corridor gives them a chance to keep doing that.”
The plan has engendered quiet optimism among the residents who have seen the tension between people and wildlife grow over time. “When elephants or zebras come close to our farms, we get scared but it’s not their fault,” said Margaret Nduku, a farmer from Kitengela.
“They’ve lost their space. Maybe this will help us all live in peace again.” If it succeeds, Nairobi could continue to be one of the few capitals on earth where wild animals still wander freely at the city’s edge – a rare coexistence that many fear will disappear without urgent action.
