The Friends of Nairobi National Park have raised an alarm over what they term the ongoing destruction of the Upland forest.

The forest is a natural habitat for lions, rhinos, Maasai giraffes and nine other endangered species that inhabit the 100 acres.

The lobby said in a statement that the destruction of the forest is due to the ongoing construction for the relocation of the Nairobi Animal Orphanage and associated facilities.

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It said there is a large new parking lot and access road integrated with the Bomas International Convention Centre (BICC) project.

“Friends of Nairobi National Park (FoNNaP) members have confirmed the destruction on site. We have obtained photos and videos showing that tree felling and bush clearing began on March 21,” the statement said.

The lobby said the ongoing destruction must be stopped immediately to prevent irreversible damage to one of the park’s most sensitive habitats.

It said the 117 square kilometre park represents the rich living heritage of Kenya.

“The Kenya Wildlife Service is mandated to protect the natural habitat and the wildlife that lives within the ecosystem, not to destroy it through piecemeal development projects,” the group said.

Friends of Nairobi National Park said once the 100 acres of forest, bush and grassland are gone, it will undermine the integrity of the critical ecosystem and much-loved public treasure.

They said a parking lot with a capacity of 1,300 vehicles appears to be the actual focus of the new development, as detailed in notes from the public participation meeting held on October 2, 2025.

“The relocation of the orphanage is clearly an excuse to build a parking facility that will primarily serve the new Bomas International Conference Centre.”

Efforts to get comments from KWS Director General Erustus Kanga were unsuccessful.

However, when reached for comment, Bomas acting CEO Jimmy Okidiang said KWS undertook an environmental impact assessment for the animal orphanage project and an EIA licence was issued by Nema.

Friends of Nairobi National Park said stakeholders overwhelmingly voiced objection to the development during a consultation meeting held in October 2025.

According to the Nairobi National Park Management Plan 2020–30, the park is divided into six zones to balance conservation and sustainable use.

The lobby said the area where the new project falls is within the low-use zone (LUZ), which encompasses the scenic highland dry (upland) forest and southern forest sections.

“This zone is explicitly designated for minimal human intervention, with strict guidelines including no new roads or infrastructure, no off-road driving, no prescribed burning and very little disturbance.”

The plan states the park has a scenic highland dry forest that is largely undisturbed. This forest has been zoned as a low-use zone to not only give visitors a sense of solitude but also provide them with an opportunity to enjoy the forest scenery.

The lobby said the low-use zoning is critical for protecting endangered and vulnerable species, including black rhinos, white rhinos, Maasai giraffes, vultures, secretary birds, bateleur eagles, grey crowned cranes, kori bustards, lions, leopards and the occasional cheetah.

The forest also serves as a vital habitat for more than 500 bird species that use NNP and maintains important ecological linkages to Ngong Road Forest for wildlife dispersal and genetic diversity.

The lobby said environmental impact assessments are legally required to align with, not contradict, approved management plans—yet this proposal does exactly that.

It said there has been secrecy in the early stages of the project.

“In total secrecy, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report was approved by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), and an EIA licence was issued on 3 December 2025. This came to light in February 2026," the lobby said.

"There was no genuine public participation in this process. No EIA document was ever distributed or even mentioned during the October 2025 meeting, nor was the completed EIA report posted online for public review.”

The lobby said the EIA for the larger Bomas International Convention Centre project (estimated at Sh41.9 billion) remains unavailable to the public.

“That project is proceeding despite being declared irregular in recent Auditor-General audits, which highlighted procurement violations, breaches of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, and lack of National Assembly approval.”