Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has renewed his push for the county to control revenue from Nairobi National Park, arguing that the city deserves a share similar to what other counties receive from major parks.

He made the remarks on Monday, November 24, 2025, when he appeared before the Senate Devolution Committee.

Sakaja told senators that the national government applies the law on park revenue selectively. He said the Maasai Mara in Narok and Amboseli in Kajiado already benefit counties, while Nairobi continues to host a large national park without any direct gain.

“In the same way, Amboseli was handed over to Kajiado County, Nairobi National Park, which is almost an eighth of this county, should also follow suit. It is not fair that that is being applied selectively,” he said.

The governor referred to the recent handover of Amboseli National Park to the Kajiado County Government. The handover allows Kajiado to manage tourism and collect revenue, while the Kenya Wildlife Service and other national bodies retain oversight.

Sakaja said the decision gave Kajiado a major advantage, while Nairobi continues to bear the burden of hosting a protected area that limits development. He argued that the park occupies prime land that the city cannot use for housing or infrastructure.

“I went to Kajiado and I saw a big function where they have got now Amboseli Park. We have written several. In fact, the first proposal that was made by His Excellency the President was that you do 50-50 revenue sharing.”

“We have raised that several in the summit. They say we’re still working on regulation. We’re still working on it. I keep telling Rebecca Miano, you know this is English. We know how much the revenue of the park is. We should just send you a bill and an invoice. Because the park being in the city constricts a lot of other development.”

“Even if we only charge rates for that entire piece of land, it is a lot of money,” he told the committee. He added that City Hall knows how much revenue the park generates and could invoice the national government.

County finances under scrutiny

He also linked the issue to county finances. The governor said Nairobi collected Ksh13.8 billion in revenue this year, the highest in its history. He compared it to the period when the Nairobi Metropolitan Services ran the city, saying the figure then stood at around Ksh 8–9 billion despite having additional national support.

Sakaja defended the county’s handling of hospital accounts, saying the law requires counties to open accounts for every facility. He said auditors now criticise counties for having too many accounts, yet the same law demands them.

“You’re the ones who say it’s every facility,” he said, arguing that the county should retain Facility Improvement Funds.

A member of the committee challenged his push for park control, saying Nairobi residents have taken over the wildlife dispersal areas, forcing animals into Kajiado. The senator argued that Nairobi should hand the park to Kajiado instead.

“The wildlife from Nairobi National Park… the residents of Nairobi have occupied every space that would have been available as a dispersal area. So actually, Nairobi National Park should also be handed over to Kajiado,” she said.

Sakaja responded that Kajiado already benefited and should support Nairobi’s case rather than oppose it.

The Nairobi governor’s demand comes as debate grows over the transfer of national parks to counties. Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma recently criticised the handover of Amboseli to Kajiado, saying county governments could mismanage parks and reduce public accountability. He warned that the move may divert public funds and harm conservation.

Kaluma argued that if the government continues handing parks to counties, it should also return Ruma National Park to Homa Bay County.

The transfer of Amboseli followed years of petitions by Maasai leaders, who claimed historical injustice and cultural ties to the land.