Every December, Nairobians and out-of-towners flock to Uhuru and Central parks to celebrate Christmas. However, in October last year, both of the parks – which are separated by a highway – were closed by the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) for renovations. Two months later, at a time when they should have been playing host to thousands of families, couples and other groups over the festive season, the parks were still closed.
A fringe political party filed a court case against the closure of the parks: at the heart of the controversy was not just the access to these green spaces, but also the social and environmental effects of the renovations.
