Francis Atwoli calls for Nairobi expansion even into the national park
The Secretary General of the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU), Francis Atwoli, has called on Kenyans to support the expansion of Nairobi City, even if it means using land in protected areas like the Nairobi National Park.
Speaking on June 22, 2025, after a report aired on local media outlet about the rejection of a proposed railway project by local residents, Atwoli stressed the urgent need to meet the growing demand for housing and infrastructure in Kenya’s capital.
“In any developing world, people construct in the forest, people do whatever they can do,” he said. “You can’t say I’m keeping this tree here when development is taking place. The population of Nairobi is growing.”
He further argued that the population in Nairobi had increased and needed more infrastructure to match the demand.
“When we were young, people in Nairobi were about 200,000 only in the city of Nairobi. Now Nairobi hosts almost 15 million people and it cannot continue to be the same.”
Atwoli said the Nairobi National Park, despite being a home for wildlife, should not stop development.
“Even the national park, the park, the Nairobi park, where we have animals and so on, it must be used to develop Nairobi. We need a new Nairobi with wide roads; we need a new Nairobi with facilities. We need Nairobi with a proper industrial park. We need to have a manufacturing place.”
He added that Nairobi is the only African capital city that has not been decongested.
“It is only Nairobi which has not been decongested in Africa. So we must expand. Nairobi must use that national park around Nairobi. We must take those animals to Masai Mara and make sure that Nairobi reflects an international city like other cities.”
