Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale told the Senate on Wednesday that the newly renovated Uhuru and Central parks near Nairobi's city centre will no longer host political rallies.
The recreational parks were closed to the public in March 2022 to allow for restoration work by the Kenya Defence Forces and the now-defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services.
Duale, in updating senators on the renovation status, stated that once the park reopens at a yet-to-be-determined date, political events will be prohibited.
“That park will never again be used by politicians to address rallies; it is out of bounds. The political class will look for another venue. Uhuru and Central parks belong to Kenyans,” the defence minister said.
Duale stated that military officers renovated the parks by rehabilitating green spaces, restoring monuments, improving infrastructure, and enhancing security through fencing and the installation of a visitor management system.
He did, however, state that the renovation was not yet complete, citing water and drainage connections that needed to be finalised.
According to the minister, his ministry is collaborating with Nairobi County Government to install the water connections.
“The construction work at Uhuru Park is practically complete as per the contract, however, we have 8 per cent pending works. We are signing an MoU with the County Government of Nairobi and in less than three weeks, they will fix them,” Duale said.
“We were waiting for the construction of the main drainage along Uhuru Highway by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KENHA). KENHA has assured that construction will be completed soon.”