Kenya police arrest ex-chief justice at park protest
Riot police used tear gas to disperse scores of protesters who had gathered against plans to build part of a national park in Kenya’s capital.
Reuters reporters said officers moved outside the main entrance to Nairobi National Park and arrested at least nine people, including former chief justice David Maraga.
He was later released.
“Our national heritage and environment must be protected from greed and unnecessary destruction without public participation,” Maraga said in X.
The Kenya Wildlife Service defended the project, saying it would expand the animal orphanage in the area, Africa’s only wildlife sanctuary in the capital.
Protesters waving banners reading “Nature is not empty” and other slogans say the plans, which include parking for more than 1,000 vehicles, would encroach on one of Kenya’s most famous protected areas.
The park is located just 10 km from Nairobi’s central business district.
Rhinos, lions, buffalos and leopards can be seen against the background of the city skyline.
“We have gathered here because Nairobi National Park is once again under threat,” activist Nyaguthii Chege told reporters at the scene.
with AP
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