NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 1- The first ever Nairobi Festival to celebrate the city’s vibe will take place on December 12, 2022 , which coincides with Jamhuri day, at the revamped Uhuru park gardens, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has said.
Governor Sakaja on Thursday said the festival which will be held annually and will be coupled up by various activities including diverse culture, food, music, acrobats and art.
During the festival, some streets will be set aside to display culture, food, creativity and have the Nganya awards for the best-done matatus, have rugby, football, and basketball tournaments and many other activities.
“This is going to be three days of extreme sherehe, I urge all residents to attend the Nairobi Festival so that we can enjoy our culture and vibe,” Governor Sakaja stated.
The Governor’s vision is to have the festival go global in a few years.
“Nairobi is a hotbed of talent and creativity and in the coming years I want the world to see it through this festival,” he added.
The county chief also announced that on the same day he will be re-opening the park which has been closed for the past two years to allow facelift.
Once officially opened, Nairobi residents will access the park free of charge and have an opportunity to enjoy improved facilities and amenities.
Uhuru Park has been revamped using antique materials such as old buses and aircraft to give it a unique look and feel.
Inside the park, there are ice cream parlors at different points, all built using old buses and other antique materials to improve the park’s aesthetics.
The new look Uhuru Park has an old aircraft converted into a modern high-end hotel.
The Park also features a modern garden with waterfronts which includes among other amenities, a plant nursery, skating park, nature trail, outdoor library, jogging and cycling tracks, maintenance yard, offices and shearer garden.
The iconic Nyayo statue and Mau Mau freedom fighters monuments have also been maintained as well as a more defined freedom corner in remembrance of Prof Wangari Maathai. A larger artificial lake has been transformed into a major waterfront with a Swahili restaurant.
Central Park on the other hand, will have an outdoor library for use by children to read and it will also be used for book launches.
The park will also have a monument to honour health workers who have lost their lives battling the Covid-19 pandemic.
