'Will be conserved': Kenya's President saves iconic fig tree from Chinese-funded highway

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta recently issued a decree to save beloved century-old fig tree from being cut down to make way for a Chinese-funded highway on the capital Nairobi. Following the backlash from environmentalists concerned about shrinking green spaces in the country, the 100-year-old tree will be preserved. The presidential decree described the tree, which the height of a four-storey building, as a “beacon of Kenya’s cultural and ecological heritage”. 

The tree is considered sacred among Kenya’s most populous ethnic group, the Kikuyu. On November 11, the head of the Nairobi metropolitan area said that the 100-year-old fig tree was slated for removal to make way for a new expressway would now not only be saved but preserved as a national symbol of environmental conservation. The announcement was a victory for both the environmentalists and the cultural leaders who denounced the efforts to cut or relocate the fig tree. 

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‘Tree will be conserved’ 

While speaking to reporters next to the tree, Mohammed Badi, director-general of Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), said, “It is now a presidential declaration that this tree will be conserved”. 

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Badi added that he had instructed city officials to fence off the tree and beautify the area so that the city’s residents could enjoy the space. Back in October, the authorities had announced that they planned to uproot the tree to make way for the construction of the Nairobi Expressway, a four-lane highway funded and built by China. According to the NY Times, the 17-mile highway, which is set for completion in 2022, is aimed at reducing traffic in the heart of Nairobi and is expected to create thousands of jobs. 

However, from the outset, the project drew criticism from environmental groups who said that the construction affects on air quality and green spaces had not been taken into account. Environmentalists also lamented that the felling of dozens of trees along the highway’s route and filed a case against the environmental regulator for approving the project. On Wednesday, the activists welcomed the decision to save the fig tree but also called for more action to save green spaces across the capital. 

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