Gov't Defends Decision to Hive off Part of Uhuru Park for JKIA-Westlands Expressway

The following public outrage, the government has defended the planned encroachment of the iconic Uhuru Park to create space for the JKIA-Westlands Expressway. 

An area of 1.3 acres along Uhuru Highway will be hived off from the park during the construction of the Sh60 billion highway, according to Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA).

In a statement, government spokesperson Col. Cyrus Oguna explained that the section will be used to erect pillars for the elevated road, adding that the part is a road reserve for Uhuru Highway.

“Uhuru Park is public land and we, therefore, appreciate the emotions and sentimental value attached to it,” wrote Oguna.

“It is for this reason that only 23 meters of the park will be hived off for the land will be used to put up pillars that will support the elevated road. Upon completion, the section will have furniture, flower beds and other amenities that will enable Kenyans to continue enjoying the park,” he added.

“We wish to clarify that the 23 meters into the park are road reserve for Uhuru Highway, thus, Uhuru Park remains untouched.” 

The building of the 27-kilometer highway will commence at JKIA and end at James Gichuru Road along Waiyaki Way in Westlands.

Its construction will be done by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) on a public-private partnership (PPP) model where investors will recoup their money plus profit from toll fees paid by motorists using the expressway.

The double-decker road will have multiple interchanges at intersections on Popo-Kapiti, Lang’ata-Lusaka, Bunyala, Rhapta, and James Gichuru roads. 

The state-of-the-art highway will also have special features such as the bus rapid transit (BRT) system where large-capacity buses will have dedicated lanes to ease congestion.

The construction will be done in three phases starting with phase one which runs from JKIA to Likoni Road.

Phase two will link Likoni Road to James Gichuru Road junction on Waiyaki Way in Westlands, while the final segment runs from James Gichuru Road to Rironi on the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.