One of Kenya’s oldest urban gardens, Nairobi’s City Park, is to undergo a major restoration after decades of misuse and neglect.

The 60-hectare green situated in Parklands is to be dramatically transformed under a programme run by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC).

(Read: The state of Nairobi's wedge shaped park)

The Trust and the Kenya government signed a memorandum of understanding last Monday in Nairobi. Prince Hussain Aga Khan represented the Trust while on the government side were Nairobi Town Clerk Philip Kisia, Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry of Local Government Prof Karega Mutahi and Dr Jacob ole Miaron, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of State for National Heritage and Culture.

The agreement was reached after a two-year negotiation over the possibility of returning the facility to its original use. This means that the Trust will collaborate in the rehabilitation and restoration of the Nairobi City Park to international standards in terms of architecture, landscape and horticulture.
“The agreement marks the initial steps to give the Park a metropolitan face, which will enhance its appeal to Kenyans as well as visiting global citizens,” said Prince Hussain Aga Khan.

“It is an important step towards ensuring that the historical and cultural heritage, as well as the significant biodiversity of Nairobi City Park, are conserved now and for generations to come.”

In its continued support for local cultural heritage, the Trust will fund the restoration. The actual cost of the project will be disclosed later, after deliberations of the steering committee formed by the three signatories have been agreed upon.

“Many of us remember how good it was in the 1960s and 70s to go for outings in the Park when it was patronised by both tourists and locals,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Government Musalia Mudavadi.

“The experience of rehabilitating and restoring Nairobi City Park will give us direction on how to manage other parks, which also need attention,” he told reporters at the signing.    

The project will create an example of urban park rehabilitation in Kenya and restore it in such a way that it complements the existing environmentally important areas, besides becoming an attraction of repute.

The agreement anticipates a partnership through environmental improvements, landscape architectural conservation and enhancing or creating new facilities. These activities will improve the quality of the site, making the environment safe for visitors to City Park while respecting its natural and cultural heritage.

The renovations will involve reconstruction of some of the disused facilities such as the bandstand, grooming of the maze and planting of more indigenous trees to improve shade, besides providing security lighting.

When the recreational facility is complete, it will become the third such project the Trust has carried out on the continent.

In 1984, the Aga Khan financed the creation of the Azhar Park for the residents of Cairo, Egypt, at the rundown Darassa site, in central Cairo. The place had been a derelict debris pit for more than 500 years, ever since the reign of the Fatmids, the ancestors of the Aga Khan.

Specialised plant nurseries had to be created to identify the best plants and trees for the soil, terrain and climate. The $30 million project is now said to rival Egypt’s famous pyramids as a tourist attraction.

AKTC also helped to elevate the National Park of Mali in 2010 where a forest had been threatened with extinction from loggers. These days, the Malian Park is protected although members of the public can still enjoy it as before. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture has also been involved in the restoration of the Humayun’s Tomb gardens in New Delhi and the revitalisation of Zanzibar’s Forodhani Park.

As a cultural agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), the Trust plays a vital role in AKDN’s  integrated approach of building  the broad spectrum of human development — economic, social and cultural— into a comprehensive strategy.

It is dedicated to revitalising culture and improving the overall quality of life, which is where the restoration of Nairobi’s City Park comes in.

“The notion of culture as an asset rather than a drain on resources was still a new one in many parts of the world when the precursor of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, was established in 1977. Culture was still considered a luxury in an era of unmet social and economic needs.  The sad result was that both tangible and intangible  cultures were succumbing to decay or decline,”  writes the Aga Khan.