Nairobi enjoys a reputation as the wildlife capital of the world. The honor is thanks to Nairobi National Park—45 square miles of protected wilderness right next to a bustling city. Now a railway wants to chug-chug-chug straight through the park. The plan is upsetting folks on both sides of the political tracks.
In 1946, Nairobi National Park became Kenya’s first wildlife sanctuary. As the only game reserve located in a major city, it’s a big tourist attraction. Visitors can see giraffes and zebras roaming free and Nairobi’s skyline behind them. The park is also a sanctuary for endangered rhinos, as well as lions and other big cats.
But the bustling Kenyan capital needs a direct link to the coast. So the Kenya Railway Corporation plans to build a 370-mile railway from Nairobi to the port of Mombasa on the Indian Ocean.
The cost of the railway will be immense. Engineers say the most affordable route is straight across Nairobi’s park. The proposed solution? A four-mile bridge—right over the reserve. Engineers insist the high-elevation bridge won’t interfere with wildlife movements. That’s where the plot thickens.
The Kenyan government and railway authorities support the project. They say the railway is vital for economic development.
Critics argue the project is being rushed for political reasons. They contend there hasn’t been enough thought about the threat to wildlife.
Akshay Vishwanath, chairman of Friends of Nairobi National Park, objects to the railway.
“It should not go in, over, or under the national park,” he insists. “There is a reason there are national parks, you know.”
But other conservationists, including Kenya Wildlife Service, back the project.
“We are not dirtying the park,” says Kenya Wildlife Service Chairman Richard Leakey. “I can tell you that we are offending the eyesight. People who want to look across the park and say it is very beautiful will see a railway line, but so what?”
A structural engineer with Kenya Railway Corporation assures that even giraffes will be able to pass under the bridge “very comfortably.”
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta favors the railway. He says it doesn’t violate the country’s laws. “Let us build the railway. Kenya wants to develop, and the animals will still be guarded and taken care of, and the world will go on.”
A Kenyan court will decide the future of the railway.
All around the world, city planners and citizens must balance progress with preservation. An East African game reserve is no exception.
