A barrier has been erected on the Arboretum road. This follows meetings of stakeholders and the Westlands sub-county security team to have the barrier erected for security reasons. The stakeholders, included State House, Kenya Forest Service Arboretum, Jabali Elementary, Kenya Girl Guides Association, National Police Service and Radisson Blu hotel.
Those who seek to access the Nairobi Arboretum Park, Kenya Forest Service, State House, State House Primary School, Kenya Girl Guides Association, Jabali Elementary School as well as the Radisson Blu hotel will have to pass through the Arboretum park lane.
The erection was however not received well by Nairobi residents. Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja registered his disapproval and urged the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (@NMS_Kenya) to look into the matter pointing out that the Nairobi Arboretum is a public space that many enjoy making the road leading to the area also a public road.
Granted permission
The conversation to have the barrier started after the January 2019 DusitD2 complex attack. Stakeholders and the Westlands sub-county security team contacted the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura) and they were allowed to erect the barrier.
Thereafter, the stakeholders, through Leisure Park Development Limited, the mother company of Radisson Blu Hotel in December 2019, wrote to Nairobi City County about the proposed erection of the security barrier. In January this year, the county replied granting permission for the work to begin and also acknowledged receiving Sh10,000 inspection fees for the work. The work was, however, postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, which was first reported in Kenya in March this year.
“We are aware of the barrier. We allowed it there because of the security reasons raised by the stakeholders. Remember it is not a throughway, so it is important to know who goes in and comes out to avoid incidents like the State House intruder,” said John Cheboi, Chief Corporate Communications Officer at Kura.
Arboretum becomes the latest public road to have obstacles. In September this year, Muthaiga Residents Association mounted a roadblock restricting access to the suburb by boda-boda operators, commercial vehicles and pedestrians.
“No motorbikes and commercial vehicles are allowed to enter Main Muthaiga Road from Oil Libya Plaza, Kiambu Road and from Mini Muthaiga Round-about including house-helps, construction site employees,” read an email signed by Christine Chiriba, for the secretariat.
Further, residents were asked to provide details of their employees, including job card or a letter indicating the name of the staffer, ID number, plot or house number, employer and their contact number.
