A drive down Chiromo road or towards it, and the familiar sight of what was once the International Casino meets you. Museum Hill round-about is no longer what it used to be - once a lush green corner filled with trees and plants, it is now a dreary sight for anyone who has half a brain. And it only gets worse: the trees, that took years to grow and have been part of the magnificent view against the backdrop of the National Museum, are no longer erect, but lay dead and heaped along the road, after being cut off to accommodate the upcoming high-tech road network.
Of course we need the roads! Hell, after spending hours in traffic, I'm sure everyone agrees we need more roads- let's build them! And voila, we have a great plan: great infrastructure being built by the oh, so environment conscious Chinese! Question is, do we really need the needless destruction as well? Is it impossible to improve our transport network, without wanton destruction of our environment? Does development necessitate a needless demolition of our surroundings? Is Nairobi set to become another concrete jungle city?
One might argue that cutting down a "few trees" at one round-about doesn't precedent great disaster, but lets take a look at patterns: State house road - over the last few weeks numerous trees have been cut off on this once beautiful avenue of sorts. One only has to look at Westlands and Parklands (Hurlingham is catching up) to see how many trees have been mutilated over the last few years. I wonder how long our safe havens (for now - Karen, Runda, Loresho etc)will last? (Isn't it a pity we now have specific green areas? (and lavington no longer falls under this list.)) And, no one seems to be questioning these decisions or choices! Where is the famed Green Belt Movement? It seems to me that it is a dead association. What are organizations like NEMA doing? Can they account for the number of random buildings appearing on our skylines, all the office buildings in residential areas and the shoddy infrastructures that have propped up at random corners?
Ever driven down the by-pass joining Mombasa road to Langata? Right next to the National park, the road is an eye-sore, the buildings alongside are ugly, if not horrendous monstrosities. Slums are developing right next to the road and the garbage collecting alongside the park fence is a sight-full! The one good thing about this is KWS's initiative to plant trees - please do become part of this must needed change...
That brings me to something else that is perhaps the most annoying thing about the whole situation - our lack of interest and action. How many people really give a damn that we are becoming a less green, more dirty city? Selfishness to sell land and make money, or buy more buildings and build more things, is so great that we don't seem to be thinking at all. Do we really need to sell land to someone who will build a gigantic structure next to someone's house? Can we think beyond our selfish causes? We are the same people who complain when there is no water flowing from our taps, no rainfall - drought, a high cost of living! And then , when the rain does come, we complain that it is inconsistent, that it is washing away buildings, causing havoc! Think People!!!!! Its time for radical green thinking - you have a responsibility that is beyond you and yours; beyond making money and making it big; beyond leading the rat race - it is a responsibility to life! A life worth living in a green, clean, efficient place! Review your take on the green debate - do something right! We are lucky in Nairobi, things could be a lot worse. Then again, if we don't do something soon then we are bound to be a lot worse than anywhere else!
