Former Chief Justice David Maraga praises campaigners after a four-month court halt and urges KWS to uphold its environmental responsibilities.
Former Chief Justice David Maraga has welcomed a four-month court halt on a Nairobi park project. In a statement, he accused the government of neglecting its constitutional duties to protect the environment.
The proposed commercial development concerns Nairobi National Park. Maraga credited Friends of Nairobi National Park, Just Act Kenya, the Green Belt Movement and 4,642 environmental campaigners with challenging it.
He praised their legal action and public mobilisation, describing the decision as a victory for constitutional rights. However, his statement did not detail the suspension’s terms or the next steps in the case.
Nairobi park project raises constitutional concerns
Maraga cited Article 42 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to a clean and healthy environment. He also highlighted Article 69, which sets out the State’s environmental conservation obligations.
The former Chief Justice praised young Kenyans who sought to deliver a petition to the Kenya Wildlife Service and plant trees. According to his statement, they faced tear gas and arrests during those efforts.
He also urged the KWS board and management to fulfil their constitutional duties and resist political interference.
Maraga criticised President William Ruto’s environmental record, arguing that the proposed development contradicted the government’s international climate commitments. He also questioned public spending on climate-related foreign travel while projects threatened protected ecosystems, in his assessment.
Park’s ecological and economic role
Maraga described Nairobi National Park as essential national infrastructure rather than empty space for commercial construction.
He cited its contribution to tourism, cleaner air and local climate regulation. In addition, he highlighted its role in limiting floods and managing water catchments.
The court intervention, he argued, showed how citizens and environmental groups can hold public institutions accountable. He therefore urged Kenyans to sustain community-led conservation efforts.
Maraga outlines environmental pledges
Maraga, who has declared his intention to run for president, also outlined his proposed environmental agenda. He linked it to Ukatiba, or constitutionalism, and Utu, or human dignity, alongside reforms including changes to the National Police Service.
His proposals include ecosystem restoration, sustainable forestry and climate-resilient, organic farming supported by local value chains. He argued that restoration and a fair clean-energy transition could create millions of green jobs within five years.
On energy, Maraga pledged to reject fossil fuel investments, including the proposed Lamu oil refinery. Instead, he proposed expanding geothermal, solar, wind and green hydrogen capacity.
He cited an estimated clean-energy potential of 290,000 megawatts. Maraga also urged Kenya to use Nairobi’s position as host of the United Nations Environment Programme to advance environmental protection.
