By Bonface Mulyungi
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has defended plans to relocate and upgrade the historic Nairobi Animal Orphanage, dismissing claims of land grabbing and environmental destruction.
KWS insisted that the project is aimed at improving wildlife welfare, conservation education and visitor experience.
In a fact sheet released Saturday, KWS said the proposed facility will replace the existing orphanage, which was established in 1964, and provide modern infrastructure to support the growing number of injured, orphaned and confiscated wild animals requiring care.
The agency said the current orphanage occupies 7.4 acres within Nairobi National Park and has served as a rescue, rehabilitation and education centre for more than six decades. The new facility will sit on an 89-acre site that remains part of the park and represents only 0.31 per cent of the park’s total area.
“KWS is upgrading the facility to enhance animal welfare standards, strengthen veterinary treatment and rehabilitation capacity, and create better conservation education spaces for schools, universities and the public,” the agency said.
According to KWS, increasing wildlife rescue cases have placed pressure on the ageing infrastructure, making expansion necessary. The agency noted that the new orphanage will feature improved enclosures to replace outdated cage-based holding facilities, expanded quarantine and nursery areas, and upgraded veterinary services.
The service outlined a rescue-to-release care pathway that includes rescue and transfer, veterinary assessment, quarantine, rehabilitation and eventual release back into the wild where possible. Animals unable to survive independently may be placed in semi-wild environments or remain under long-term care.
The project has attracted criticism from some conservation groups and members of the public who have questioned its environmental impact and the use of land within Nairobi National Park. However, KWS rejected allegations that the development is a commercial venture.
“The new animal orphanage is a rescue, welfare and education facility under KWS and will remain open to the public,” the agency said.
The wildlife agency further dismissed concerns that park land was being lost, maintaining that the proposed site remains part of Nairobi National Park and will continue to be managed for conservation purposes.
Responding to allegations of land grabbing, KWS described the project as a transformative initiative designed to support conservation goals and improve the agency’s long-term sustainability.
The service also said the project underwent the required environmental approval processes. According to KWS, an Environmental Impact Assessment was conducted under the Environmental Management and Coordination Act, and the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) issued a licence in 2025.
The agency added that public participation exercises recorded an approval rating of 85 per cent. Addressing environmental concerns, KWS said the new orphanage will be built on an open grassland glade and not in an upland forest as alleged by critics. It further pledged to restore and revegetate the existing orphanage site once operations move to the new facility.
Other mitigation measures include restricting construction to approved areas and implementing sustainable water, sanitation and waste management systems.
KWS said the project aligns with the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, environmental regulations, its 2024-2028 strategic plan, the National Wildlife Strategy 2030 and international animal welfare standards.
The agency maintains that the relocation will modernise one of Kenya’s oldest wildlife rescue facilities while strengthening conservation education and improving care for vulnerable animals.
