Kenya's former chief justice David Maraga arrested during park construction protest

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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s former Chief Justice David Maraga said he was arrested on Monday alongside other activists protesting planned construction inside Nairobi National Park.

Maraga was detained and later released while staging a sit-in on a major road outside the national park’s main gate. He was wearing a green T-shirt similar to those worn by other activists.

The police have yet to comment on the reason for his arrest.

Maraga wrote on X that he was arrested while heading to present a petition to the Kenya Wildlife Service.

“Our national heritage and environment must be safeguarded from greed and unnecessary destruction without public participation,” he said.

Hundreds of activists joined a protest against the planned construction inside the park and the relocation of an orphanage, calling it an attempt to grab public land.

Kenya has experienced incidents of land grabbing in the past, and environmentalists have often spoken out when parks and other green spaces are encroached upon.

Amnesty International in Kenya expressed solidarity with the protesters and called for members of the public to be included in decisions affecting the country’s environmental heritage.

“We want to categorically state that Nairobi National Park is not for sale; our public spaces, our environment, and our rights cannot be traded away behind closed doors,” the rights group said.

The Kenya Wildlife Service on Sunday defended the construction as part of a plan to expand the orphanage and improve the visitor experience, effectively dismissing claims of land grabbing.