Francis Muli
The ongoing construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and a planned link road to the Inland Container Depot (ICD) is threatening the existence of the World’s largest national park in a city.
Yesterday, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) with support from Wild Wide Fund for nature Kenya (WWF-K) boarded three of the eight black rhinos earmarked for translocation from national park to the Tsavo East Rhino Sanctuary.
The remaining five will be captured for translocation to the newly established sanctuary in Taita Taveta county.
A further six will be moved out of the Lake Nakuru National Park next week in an exercise expected to end on July 7. This will make 14 the number of black rhinos to be translocated to Tsavo East.
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Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary, Najib Balala confirmed that the city wildlife sanctuary is facing various challenges especially in capacity.
“With more than 100 black rhinos currently at the park, its ability to host 45 rhinos that had been designed for the 117.2 square kilometres facility had been outstripped,” Balala said after receiving two vehicles valued at Ksh14 million; three motor bikes and electronic equipment including computers, surveillance cameras and GPS equipment worthy Ksh3 million from WWF-K.
Early this year, environmentalists filed a case at the National Environmental Tribunal to oppose construction of phase 2A of the SGR across the national park. Despite that, the construction started and is in its final stages of completion.
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