A proposed crematorium at Nairobi’s City Park has sparked a dispute over the future of one of the capital’s oldest green spaces.
Friends of City Park (FOCP), a conservation group, wants the facility moved elsewhere, arguing that it could compromise the park’s recreational use, biodiversity and historical monuments.
In an interview with the Nation , the group’s chairperson, Dion Koigi, said it was not opposed to cremation but wanted the park preserved for public recreation.
“We are not opposed to cremation,” he said. “We are not opposed to people getting a dignified cremation or send-off.”
According to FOCP, the park was donated by the Kihara family in 1902 for public recreation and set aside in 1923 as an urban park. Of its original 93 hectares, 63 hectares were declared a National Monument in 2009 under Legal Notice No. 130, published in Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 54.
Mr Koigi said parts of the park had been illegally allocated over the years, reducing land originally set aside for public use.
The proposal for a public green crematorium was brought before the Nairobi City County Assembly through a Motion passed on August 13, 2026.
Playground in City Park Nairobi.
Photo credit: Pool
Thuo Fiunifiu, the Karura Ward Member of County Assembly (MCA) who sponsored the Motion, says Nairobi residents need more options for laying their loved ones to rest. He cited rapid urbanisation and population growth as factors driving demand for burial space, arguing that cremation would offer an alternative and make more efficient use of land.
“Cremation is a dignified way of laying loved ones to rest and gives families a choice,” he told the Assembly.
The Assembly directed the County Executive to conduct a feasibility study on establishing the facility next to Murumbi Peace Memorial Park at City Park Goan Cemetery. It also called for public participation involving religious and cultural groups, residents and other stakeholders, and asked the Executive to explore public-private partnerships to finance and operate the facility.
Speaking to the Nation , Mr Fiunifiu said Nairobi had two crematoria, at Kariokor and Lang’ata, although the latter was not operational. He maintained that the proposed facility would be next to the existing Goan Cemetery, not in the forested section of City Park.
“We have diverse communities and people who have different beliefs and cultures, and we must also give people options,” he said.
FOCP, however, says the proposed site falls within the park’s protected 63 hectares and is close to the Murumbi cemetery, where the graves of former Vice-President Joseph Murumbi, his wife Sheila and Pio Gama Pinto are located.
“Our interest is within the boundaries of the 63 hectares,” Mr Koigi said. “The whole process is being done in secrecy; we don’t want that project at all.”
He said the proposed location was less than five metres from the monuments. The group is also concerned that the facility would require extra space for parking, seating and prayer services, potentially leading to further encroachment.
“You need people to sit, to pray, and the space is not even available for that,” he said.
FOCP also fears the project could affect the park’s ecology. City Park supports plants, insects, birds, butterflies and monkeys, including species that the group says are not found elsewhere.
The decades-old bandstand in City Park, Nairobi.
Photo credit: Pool
“The biodiversity of City Park is unique,” Mr Koigi said. “There are some species of plants and insects that you will not find elsewhere.”
“There are very few green spaces in Nairobi,” he said, adding that City Park provides residents with one of the few free places to spend time outdoors.
FOCP wants the county to upgrade the existing crematoria at Kariokor and Lang’ata to meet demand rather than establish another facility in a public recreational space.
“Why can’t these funds be used to develop those two facilities,” Mr Koigi asked, “or acquire a piece of land somewhere else, not in a public recreational facility?”
Mr Fiunifiu said concerns about air pollution, emissions and effects on the ecosystem should be considered during public participation. He stressed that the Assembly’s Motion did not authorise immediate construction but required consultation and a feasibility study.
“When those opposed to the proposed project speak about it, they make it sound as though construction is starting tomorrow. No, this is a process,” he said.
He said the County Executive was expected to submit its feasibility report to the Assembly by the second week of December, within the 90-day timeline.
City Park in Nairobi.
Photo credit: Pool
Questions have also emerged over public participation. Mr Koigi said FOCP had not been formally consulted before learning of the proposal.
The group raised concerns at a public engagement exercise during Nairobi Place-making Week on October 30, 2026, after a participant brought up the crematorium proposal, although it was not on the initial agenda.
“When it came up, it became pretty emotive,” he said. “One participant spoke as though the project had already been decided.”
The MCA said the Assembly had required public participation before the County Executive proceeded with the feasibility study, urging residents to attend and give their views.
Nairobi City County is scheduled to hold a public participation forum on the proposed crematorium on Friday, November 13, 2026, at Murumbi Peace Memorial Park.
Mr Koigi said FOCP was formed in 1996 under the umbrella of Nature Kenya, the East African Natural History Society, to protect, conserve and restore the park.
“We want the county government to keep the crematorium out of City Park,” he said, urging it to invest in existing facilities instead.
Nation Media Group’s Climate team sought a response from Nairobi City County Government on the proposal and FOCP’s concerns. The county had not responded by the time of publication.
