Forum to Discuss the Implications of the Nairobi Expressway: Public Voices and Public Open Spaces.

The Centre for Advanced Studies in Environmental Law and Policy (CASELAP) and the School of Law of the University of Nairobi on 5th, December 2019, co-hosted a public forum on the implications of the decision to construct the Nairobi Expressway across Uhuru Park on public participation, conservation of open spaces and sustainable development in Kenya.

The forum was organized as part of scholarly contribution discourse on to environmental governance in Kenya. The focus on Uhuru park, and the development of the Nairobi Expressway have raised important questions concerning the utility of public participation (consultation and access to information), the value of public open spaces in urban areas, and their governance; and the balancing of economic, social, cultural and political considerations, a necessary ingredient for sustainable development, in decision making by the government in making public policy decisions, such as the Nairobi expressway. 

This forum provided space for objective discourse between scholars, civil society and public officers; presentation of scholarly, and position papers on thematic governance questions relating to public participation during decision making for public programmes and projects, with a focus on the Nairobi expressway; presentation of recommendations on compliance with the law and best practices to enhance the public voice during public policy decision making and Discussions and adoption of recommendations on the management of public open spaces in a manner that permanently safeguards their future in light of pressure for land use conversion.

Click here to check out the conversation in Twitter under the hashtag #publicvoiceuhurupark2019