Nairobi News

The Uhuru Park recreational facility is now open after being closed for more than two years to allow the contractor to renovate the facility, which was in a sorry state at the time.

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja gave the order to open the park, allowing hundreds of residents to use the facility free of charge.

However, Central Park, which adjoins Uhuru Park, is still closed to the public as the contractor puts the finishing touches on the facility.

According to the governor, the Central Park facility will not be free and residents who want to use it will have to dig deep into their pockets.

Speaking during his State of the County address, the governor said that a lot of work has been done on the park, making it reasonable for the county to introduce new charges, unlike before when it was free.

The park has an amphitheatre, a skating rink, an open-air library, terraces that can be used for group meetings and a venue suitable for weddings and other events.

“Central Park is the only one that charges a fee because of its remote or designated areas,” said Sakaja.

He urged the Nairobi County Assembly to consider moving its meetings to the Central Park amphitheatre to see the reality of the complete renovation that has taken place there.

Residents have been asked to take care of two facilities whenever they visit.

The county said there would be maximum security in both parks throughout the day and night to ensure the facility is safe for residents and visitors.

Part of the security procedures will be the presentation of IDs to security officers at the point of entry.

“We are setting up a management system from the gate so that when you come in, you can leave your ID for us to make sure that there is security, to know who has come in so that we don’t have the wrong people lazing around in that place or creating insecurity.”

He continued: “We are deploying a special security team from our inspectorate and police service that will man Uhuru Park 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”