Rail line through park a big disaster

In a shocking turn of events in August this year, the Ministry of Transport revealed that the Kenya Railways Corporation would build Phase 2A of the standard gauge railway (SGR) right through the middle of Nairobi National Park.

At a press conference in September 2016, officials from the ministry flanked by those from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the National Land Commission defended the decision, claiming that this was inevitable due to economic and logistical considerations.

The contradiction could not have been more glaring. Last April, the Transport principal secretary had announced that all plans for the line to pass through the park had been dropped. At the time, KWS had strongly opposed the proposal.

The law requires that an environmental and social impact assessment (Esia) be conducted before any major project is undertaken. However, Kenya Railways and the ministry’s casual handling of the process is a clear indication that they consider it a mere rubber-stamping exercise.

A court injunction from the National Environment Tribunal has put a stop to any activities relating to Phase 2A of the SGR until the case is heard and determined. Kenya Railways and its Esia consultants cancelled many of the public consultations that were scheduled, but still went ahead with a few public hearings despite the injunction.

Even more problematic was the manner in which the few consultations were held. No prior information was released publicly, so those who attended heard or received information for the first time during the meetings.

During the so-called consultations, there was no opportunity for question-and-answer sessions nor a discussion to properly interrogate the plans, suggest alternatives, or generally share views.

The whole exercise was conducted in English and a bit of Kiswahili, which made it difficult for the semi-literate community members on whose land the railway will be built once it exits the park, to follow the proceedings. It must be noted that as yet, no minutes of these consultations have gone on record or been released publicly.

Despite the injunction and without adequate stakeholder consultation, the consultants and Kenya Railways went ahead to finalise the Esia report and release it in October.

The mischief continues as Kenya Railways and its consultants called a public hearing to comment on the report on December 8. Less than a week’s notice was given and no proper information on the exact venue of the hearing was provided.

The bulky, 300-page Esia document is diabolical from a technical standpoint — poorly written, lacking many specific details, and biased towards supporting a single preferred alignment. The report does not adequately identify all the potential ecological impacts of the proposed railway. Many of the obvious and likely impacts that should be considered were either left out entirely or covered superficially. 

Further, using examples of existing railways through national parks, both in Kenya and overseas, as a justification to approve the railway through Nairobi National Park is illogical and unscientific.

In all the examples given, the railway was built prior to the area becoming a national park. Nowhere in the world has a major railway been built in an area after it was declared a national park.

In addition, the Esia makes no mention of consultation with recognised global experts on the impacts of habitat fragmentation and the ecology of linear infrastructure such as roads and rail. In many sections of the document, the data that was presented and then used to make decisions (e.g. wildlife species occurrence and movement data) is sparse and unreliable.

Indeed, some sections of the Esia read more like advertising for the project rather than an unbiased, scientific decision-making tool. 

The government should delay making a decision on the route for SGR’s next phase until a comprehensive Esia is undertaken that includes an alignment that completely avoids the Nairobi National Park.

The assessment should include expert input, adopt globally recognised best practices, and reflect global scientific understanding of the impacts of railways on wildlife and their dispersal areas, and the effectiveness of mitigation measures.

In such a critical matter affecting our heritage, no shortcuts should be taken. Good sense ought to prevail and the most suitable route for the railway sought.

Mr Vishwanath is the acting chairman of Friends of Nairobi National Park. [email protected]