The government has defended the process surrounding the proposed hiving off of part of Nairobi National Park, insisting that there are established legal procedures that must be followed before any section of the protected area can be excised.

Speaking before the Senate on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi responded to concerns over the Bomas project and claims that part of the Nairobi National Park land was being hived off without due process.

Mbadi told senators that there are clear procedures governing the hiving of land from the national park and suggested that the matter should be examined within the framework of existing laws and regulations.

“On the issue of Bomas and the hiving off of Nairobi National Park, there is a procedure for hiving off Nairobi National Park,” he said.

The cabinet can provide the required details

Mbadi said he is willing to return and provide a comprehensive response on the project if given an opportunity.

Mbadi maintained that he is ready to account for the matter before senators and assured the House that either he or the relevant Cabinet Secretaries overseeing the project could provide the required details.

“I am competent and capable of coming back here to address that issue, and I would be glad to do it. Alternatively, my colleagues, the line ministers responsible, can also respond to it,” he added.

Activists defending the park

The civil society organisations, including a coalition of environmental and human rights organisations, including Friends of Nairobi National Park, Just Act, United Green Movement Party, The Green Belt Movement, Amnesty International Kenya and Greenpeace Africa, recently expressed solidarity with citizens campaigning to protect the park, insisting that decisions affecting public resources must involve meaningful public participation.

“We stand in solidarity with citizens defending Nairobi National Park and the right to public participation in decisions that affect our shared environment. We want to categorically state that Nairobi National Park is not for sale. Our public spaces, our environment, and our rights cannot be traded away behind closed doors.”

The coalition argued that the dispute extends beyond environmental conservation and touches on broader issues of governance, accountability and transparency.

“This is about more than land. It is about power, accountability, transparency, and the right of people to be heard,” the statement added.

Among their key demands are the immediate release of all persons arrested during the procession, an end to intimidation and arbitrary arrests, full respect for constitutional freedoms, transparency regarding any plans affecting Nairobi National Park, and the long-term protection of the park as a national heritage site.

Former Chief Justice David Maraga was among those who were arrested while protesting plans to hive off a section of Nairobi National Park and later released.