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Jevanjee gardens to get a Sh30m facelift


Jevanjee gardens will receive a Sh30 million facelift in the next six months.

The park will be redesigned to get rid of the current restrictive barriers and introduce a local arts corner and a children’s play area.

The fence is also set to be pruned to a level where one can see inside, for security reasons.

Once complete, Jevanjee gardens will have a team of dedicated workers for its maintenance.

The works had been designed to be in three phases due to financial constraints, but during the launch of the rehabilitation on Monday, Governor Evans Kidero ordered that the phases be collapsed to one and the funds availed.

“The problem with these projects done in phases is that they risk not being completed,” he said.

Currently, Sh7 million has been allocated to the project.

Dr Kidero ordered that the deficit Sh27 million be included in the 2014/15 county budget.

The county is in the medium term aiming for a public park in each of the 17 sub-counties, with an ambition of having about 60 be developed.

Jevanjee Gardens was donated to Nairobi residents by Alibhai Mulla Jeevanje in 1906 as a place to unwind.

In 1991, the Sunday Nation raised a red flag over developers who had apparently been allowed to develop a multi-storeyed car park but the project was shelved after a spirited opposition by conservationists.