Maraga Hails Court Halt on Nairobi National Park Project, Accuses Govt of Environmental Destruction

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 28 — Former Chief Justice David Maraga has welcomed a court decision halting a commercial project at Nairobi National Park for four months, accusing the government of undermining environmental protection obligations.

Maraga congratulated Friends of Nairobi National Park, Just Act Kenya, the Green Belt Movement and 4,642 environmental campaigners whom he credited with challenging the proposed development through legal action and public mobilisation.

In a statement, Maraga described the court order as a victory for constitutionalism and citizens’ efforts to protect the environment.

He cited Article 42 of the Constitution, which guarantees every person the right to a clean and healthy environment, and Article 69, which outlines the State’s obligations on environmental conservation.

“When the Ruto regime treats these sacred provisions as optional suggestions, it is the citizens who must enforce the law,” Maraga said.

The former Chief Justice also praised young Kenyans who, according to his statement, faced tear gas and arrests while seeking to deliver a public petition to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and plant trees.

He urged the KWS board and management to uphold their constitutional and environmental responsibilities and resist what he described as political interference.

Maraga criticised President William Ruto’s environmental record, arguing that the government’s international climate commitments were inconsistent with the proposed commercial development at Nairobi National Park.

He questioned the allocation of public resources to climate-related foreign trips while raising concerns about projects he said could threaten forests and protected ecosystems.

The former Chief Justice described Nairobi National Park as critical national infrastructure, citing its contribution to tourism, air quality, local climate regulation, flood mitigation and water catchment management.

He argued that the park should not be treated as vacant land for commercial infrastructure, stressing its ecological importance to Nairobi and the country.

The court halt, he said, demonstrated the role citizens and environmental organisations can play in holding public institutions accountable.

Maraga, who has declared his intention to run for president, said an administration under his leadership would prioritise constitutionalism, human dignity and environmental conservation.

He identified what he described as two foundational pillars of his proposed leadership: restoring Ukatiba, or constitutionalism, and Utu, or human dignity, through institutional reforms, including changes to the National Police Service.

Under his proposed environmental agenda, Maraga pledged to introduce a comprehensive ecosystem restoration programme aimed at creating jobs, improving food security and expanding clean energy.

He said investments in ecosystem restoration, sustainable forestry and a just transition could generate millions of green jobs for young people within five years.

On agriculture, Maraga proposed shifting towards climate-resilient and organic farming methods, alongside local value chains, to strengthen food sovereignty.

Maraga also pledged to reject fossil fuel investments, specifically citing the proposed Lamu oil refinery project.

Instead, he said his administration would seek to expand Kenya’s renewable energy capacity through geothermal, solar, wind and green hydrogen.

He cited an estimated 290,000-megawatt clean energy potential, arguing that Kenya could strengthen its position as a global leader in climate action.

Maraga further pointed to Nairobi’s role as host to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), saying Kenya should use that position to advance sustainability and environmental protection.

He urged Kenyans to sustain community-led conservation efforts, saying the court decision should serve as a reminder of the public’s role in defending constitutional rights.

“We have won this battle, but the war to protect our future continues,” Maraga said.

The statement did not provide further details of the court order, including the specific terms of the four-month suspension or the next steps in the case.