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Environmentalist Playlist: 5 Green Spaces in Nairobi

City Park, The future.
It is certain that there are fewer and drastically hard to find areas where one can sit quietly and simply listen to the birds sing, walk barefoot in the grass or simply lie under the shade of a tree and take a nap. Communing with nature is becoming a luxury fewer and fewer people can experience, especially for the vast populations of people now crammed in cities. As our cities expand and we build taller buildings, wider roads, pillage the land for fuel and cut into nature to accomodate our unsustainable growth, we are losing touch with nature. Although there are some green spaces still left, they exist because the champions amongst us dared to fight for the land and hence our survival.

Nairobi is very lucky in this regard. We have spaces that are open to the public that allow nature to survive despite our efforts to desicate it in the name of progress. The following are 5 Green spaces that you can enjoy when in Nairobi.

City Park
City Park is located in Parklands across from Aga Khan Hospital. This Park was established in 1921 as a zoological garden on a 91 hectare area, and formally declared a public park in 1925. Despite all efforts by conservationists to protect it, over a third of its area was lost to grabbers and now it is about 60 hectares large. It contains a magnificent sculpture garden whose pieces include the Bird of Peace by Elkana Ongesa, at the Murumbi Memorial Park; a public cemetery that is also the burial place of Pio Gama Pinto, a Journalist and Politician who actively participated in Kenya’s struggle for independence, only to be assassinated in 1965.

Click here to learn more about this zoological garden.


Jevanjee Gardens
Jevanjee Gardens

Jevanjee Gardens was donated to the residents of Nairobi in 1906 by Alibhai Mullah Jeevanjee, this 5 acre recreational park is one of few green spaces gracing Nairobi's CBD. Jeevanjee Gardens is bounded by Moi Avenue, Monrovia Street, Muindi Mbingu Street and Moktar Daddah Street towards the northern end of the city centre. It is centrally located, and easily accessible to residents from all corners of the city. It is free and open to the public and is a serene space featuring beautiful gardens and trees providing a welcome shade from the tropical sun. It is also conveniently dotted with artistic benches, and sculptures making it an ideal picnic spot.

Click here to learn more about this serene garden.


Nairobi Arboretum
Nairobi Arboretum 

Nairobi Arboretum was established in 1907 by Mr. Batiscombe, then Deputy Conservator of Forests, to try out introduced forestry trees for Kenya. It was gazetted as a national reserve in 1932 and in 1996 a title deed issued by Commissioner of land designating it as a public owned reserve.

The Arboretum occupies 30 hectares and holds over 350 tree species; it is home to over 100 species of resident and migrant birds, a multitude of insects, reptiles and small mammals; notably the playful Vervet and Sykes monkeys. The Arboretum is situated 3km from the city centre along State House Road and is open for free to the public. 


Uhuru Park
Uhuru Park

Uhuru Park is the heart of Nairobi's Central Business District. It is a 12.9 hectare green reserve bounded by Ngong road (North) Haillesellasie Avenue (South) Uhuru Highway (East) and Nyerere road (West). It was opened to the general public by the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta on 23 May 1969. It contains an artificial lake, several national monuments and an assembly ground that caters to all, from skateboarders and bird watchers, to political and religious gatherings. It has remained untouched due to the remarkable efforts of Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement. It is free and open to the public but do prepare to pay for boat rides.

Click here to learn more about the Soul of Nairobi.

Karura Forest
Karura Forest

Karura Forest Reserve is an urban upland forest on the outskirts of Nairobi that is bounded by Kiambu and Limuru Road. It is a geographical wonderland that boasts one of the largest gazetted forests in the world within city limits. It covers an area of about 1,000 ha and features a 50-foot waterfall, archaeological sites, marshlands that attract bird life including winter migrants from Europe and Asia, caves, serene groves of secondary and primary indigenous trees to name but a few. It also boasts wonderful biking and running trails and has become a favorite venue for many outdoor events.

The forest is a legacy of Professor Wangari Maathai (late founder of the Green Belt Movement and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate) because she saved the forest from developers who tried to grab large portions of the north of the central section of the forest.

Karura charges fees at the entrance that go towards forest security, improvement and maintenance.

Click here to learn more about this forest wonderland.

Go forth and commune with nature and let us know your where your favorite green spaces are.

"If you want to lie under a shade in your old age, plant a tree now." - African proverb.
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Waste Management: Nairobi's Indifference Hurts!

STUDY RESULTS: NAIROBI RESIDENTS RELATIONSHIP AND PERCEPTION OF WASTE AND WASTE MANAGEMENT
By Christine M. Mahihu


How Green Are African Cities?
January 27, 2013.

It is no secret we have a waste management issues in our beloved capital city. Management issues at the City Council, now the County Council, the institution constitutionally responsible for waste collection and disposal, has contributed greatly to the sorry state of waste management in the City. However, what role do we as Nairobi citizens play? The purpose of this study was to help understand people’s perception of waste and it’s management.

The study was conducted to gauge how well informed Nairobi residents are on matters of waste management and also their attitudes towards waste. It has become very common to see piles of trash all over the city and when we receive heavy rains, streets flood making them impassable and traffic a nightmare. During the rainy season last year, the brand new Thika highway flooded after a spate of heavy rains. Social media was awash with complaints towards the Chinese construction company that won the tender to build the highway. A few however, wondered if it was drivers and pedestrians habit of throwing trash on the road that was the cause

“In this case, we must acknowledge our own responsibility for our flooded roads and leave the Chinese out of it. We cannot live first-class lives without developing first-class habits!” (Atwoli, 2013)

It is events like these that led us to carry out a mini study on Nairobi citizen’s perceptions of waste.

How many of us take responsibility for the waste suffocating our city? If not ourselves, who then do we point fingers at? According to the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), only 40% of total generated waste in urban centers reaches designated dumping areas. More than half (61%) of waste is generated by residents while 20% is from industries; meaning we the residents are responsible for the bulk of waste generated in Nairobi. It is estimated that by 2020, the waste generated in Nairobi daily will be approximately 5400 tones from the current 2,500 to 3,000 tons per day. If not dealt with adequately now, the issue is bound to get worse in the future.


How long does it take to biodegrade?
Summary of Results

From the findings it was clear the sampled city residents are fairly knowledgeable on issues related to waste management, however, less than 50% had knowledge on recycling of waste materials. There was little concern and or knowledge of where our waste goes among responders; only 36% indicated they knew where their waste ends up. Majority of the responders, regardless of their knowledge of where waste goes, said Dandora was the final destination. This is despite the fact it was declared full 13 years ago and is a health and environmental hazard, especially to those who live around it.

While most of our respondents agreed that everyone is responsible for waste generation, 88% placed waste management responsibility on the County Council, formerly City Council of Nairobi, and only a few took personal responsibility . Apart from blaming the whole system set up (public structures that deal with waste management), people also viewed culture and ignorance as a cause of Nairobi’s poor waste management. When it came to consequences of waste mismanagement, health was cited as the greatest concern among survey respondents as well as pollution and aesthetics. Perceptions of waste management differed slightly among age groups and economic class levels; older responders seemed more awareness while residents from low income areas took more responsibility.

Although this study was not fully representative, it gave a glimpse of how residents of Nairobi relate to waste. From the results, we recommend creating awareness on the waste disposal cycle and its benefits, especially among the youth. More encouragement of private sector and community based organizations to participate in waste management is also highly recommended. Exploring and expanding job creation opportunities in this field will go a long way in dealing with proper disposal and recycling of waste.


Waste Cycle

Education, especially in Primary schools, would also encourage participation in waste management so as to encourage early responsible behavior and active engagement with key players. We all need to be involved in the collection, disposal and recycling of our waste as this will also go a long way in keeping the institutions involved on their toes.

Regardless of all steps taken to deal with waste in the city, the biggest impact will be felt when residents take more responsibility in managing their own waste and demanding waste be disposed of in an effective, responsible way that protects the health of both the environment and the people that depend on it.

**Stay tuned for the full report to be published at a later date.
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Food Security: Full Planet, Changing Climate, Empty Plates…



The world population is estimated to be 7.017 billion, according to the United States Census Bureau in March 12 2012 Report. The UN Population Division estimated that by 2050, the global population is projected to be between 8.3 billion and 10.9 Billion.

What does this mean for Africa?

That out of the 7.017 billion, it is the second most populated continent following Asia with its 4.2 billion inhabitants accounting for over 60% of the world’s population and 15% of the world’s population which is close to one billion people is from Africa.

Map showing urban areas with at least one million inhabitants in 2006. Only 3% of the world's population lived in cities in 1800; this proportion had risen to 47% by 2000, and reached 50.5% by 2010.[47] By 2050, the proportion may reach 70%.[48]
20th August 2013 Marked the Earth Overshoot Day, The approximate date our resource
consumption for a given year exceeds the planets ability to replenish. The Earth Overshoot day arrives a few days earlier each year. This is but a minuscule indicator of how dire the food situation is globally.

Population growth will greatly increase the amount of food needed to adequately feed sub Saharan Africa’s people. Sub Sahara Population is projected to reach to 2 billion people in 2050. 

Why is Africa at risk?

Today, 30 million children (1 in 5) in sub-Saharan Africa are underweight – 5.5 million more than 20 years ago. In March 12 2012, statistics show that nearly 240 million people or one person in every four lack adequate food to a healthy and active life.


In 2009, Kenya's population was estimated at 38.6 million, up from 28.7 million in 1999, 21.4 million in 1989 and 15.3 million in 1979 (CBS, 1979, 1989, 1999, KNBS, 2010). Please note that a third (12.7 million) of Kenyans live in urban areas with 60-70% of those in informal settlements, where land is scarce and the environmental conditions tolerable at best, causing 35% of children under the age of five years to be stunted, 16% underweight and 7% to be wasted. [Kenya Demographic Health Survey 2009].

How Secure is our food supply considering the number of people that need to be fed?
What measures are being put forward to adapt to the changing climate? What measures are being put forward to prepare for the future? Watch the following trailer to the documentary: Future of Food.



Will we continue to waste food because we know we can afford it? What is the government doing to make sure their population's food supply is secure? 
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