World Ozone Day in Nairobi: Michuki Memorial Park highlights 40 years of ozone protection

Kenya marked World Ozone Day at Michuki Memorial Park, a location symbolic of the city’s environmental recovery and the benefits of preserving green spaces.

The day underscored the ozone layer’s critical role in shielding life on Earth from harmful solar radiation, while the park itself highlighted how the rehabilitation of green spaces can transform urban crime hotspots into safe community havens.

For years, Michuki Memorial Park was a dumpsite and a refuge for criminals who hid there after robbing unsuspecting Kenyans along adjacent roads. Today, however, the 12-hectare park offers cobbled paths, shaded resting areas, and lush tree cover.

It has become a sanctuary for Nairobi residents seeking quiet moments with nature—listening to birdsong, the Nairobi River’s flow, and leaves rustling overhead, all while enjoying their meals or resting under trees that shield them from UV rays.

It was a fitting venue for this year’s commemoration, which also celebrated 40 years since the Vienna Convention first identified ozone depletion as a global threat.

That landmark treaty paved the way for the Montreal Protocol, widely recognised as one of the most successful environmental agreements in history.

Ozone-depleting substances

The protocol has phased out more than 99 per cent of ozone-depleting substances while also making a significant contribution to climate change mitigation.

Environment CS Dr Deborah Barasa said the theme, 40 years of the Vienna Convention: From Science to Global Action, is a reminder that bold, science-based decisions can unite the world and drive real solutions.

"Kenya joined the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol in November 1988 and, since then, has ratified all five amendments. These commitments show Kenya's steadfast dedication to protecting the Ozone layer and tackling climate change. Our mission is simple but profound: to ensure that future generations live free from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation and climate-warming gases," she said.

Through the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Kenya now regulates the import and export of Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) with a strict licensing and quarterly reporting system to curb illegal trade and ensure compliance with international standards.

Although HFCs make up a relatively small share of global emissions, they are powerful greenhouse gases with warming potentials hundreds to thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide. They are commonly used in refrigeration, air conditioning, heat pumps, foams, aerosols, fire suppression, and solvents.

National cooling plan

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• Climate Change
• NEMA
• ozone-depleting substances
• Environment Minister John Michuki
• World Ozone Day
• Michuki Memorial Park
• environmental recovery
• ozone protection
• Montreal Protocol
• World Ozone Day in Nairobi: Michuki Memorial Park highlights 40 years of ozone protection
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Dr Barasa added that the government has developed a national cooling plan to guarantee safe and sustainable cooling for homes, hospitals, farms, and businesses.

"To make this a reality, the ministry, through the National Ozone Unit, has partnered with international allies such as the government of France, GIZ, and other training institutions to build national capacity through training refrigeration and air conditioning technicians across Kenya in good practices, while institutions and hospitals are receiving modern tools and equipment that use ozone friendly gases," she said.

She stressed that every Kenyan has a role to play.

"Government action alone is, however, not enough; each one of us has to play a role. From the choices we make at home and in business. The energy we use, the waste we manage, the trees we plant. We either weaken or strengthen our shield in the sky," she implored.

Environmental Secretary Dr Selly Kimosop reaffirmed that Kenya is fully compliant with the global hydrocarbon phase-out obligations under the Montreal Protocol and is on track to meet HFC reduction targets under the Kigali Amendment.

"Together we can keep our skies blue, our air clean, and our planet safe," she said.

The event drew environmental scientists, NEMA officials, ministry staff, the Ozone Secretariat, and representatives from the German Embassy in Nairobi. Yet even as the commemoration unfolded, ordinary Kenyans continued to use the park for rest and relief from the afternoon heat.

Lunch breaks

Among them was Caroline Nyambura, who discovered the park earlier this year and now spends her lunch breaks there.

"Before then, I did not know that this park existed, but now I come here every day for the breeze and quiet. I have never had a bad experience here, and so I consider it a safe place to rest and while away time," she said.

She recalled once being startled by monkeys.

"I had vowed never to return, but some guards told me the monkeys are friendly to people since they have trees to perch on and therefore will hardly disturb anyone," she said.

The park’s charm also drew Nelly Akinyi, a fourth-year International Relations student at Technical University, who explored the space with classmates after the ceremony.

"It is an honour to experience the ambience within the park. What caught my eye was the lovely bridge and trees. This is a place I plan on being at again this week. I think this is a good initiative when we are talking matters environment. We call on the government to consider establishing more green spaces for, of course, fresh air. I am so happy that I get to feel and witness this space," she said.

For Joseph Wambua, an ice cream vendor, the park’s revival has been life-changing.

"I have benefited from this park since 2021 to date. Initially, thugs would rob women's handbags and run off with them to this forest. Other criminals had found some home here, but since the park began, those criminal acts have ended. People come here to rest as others sleep without being interrupted by anyone. Lately, the number of visitors has been piling, because it's peaceful and one does not need to pay to access it like other forests within the city; here, you just register your name at the entrance and that is all," he said.

Wambua said he has watched lovers, families, prayer groups, and solo visitors flock to the park, boosting his daily sales.

Restoring Nairobi River

Efforts to rehabilitate the park began in 2008 under former Environment Minister John Michuki, who launched an ambitious plan to restore the Nairobi River and make its waters safe for surrounding communities. The initiative removed more than 200,000 tonnes of solid waste and planted 6,357 indigenous trees.

After years of neglect, the project was revived in 2020 by then-Minister Keriako Tobiko, following a presidential directive. The Kenya Forest Service took over management, overseeing the construction of a perimeter wall, paved walkways, gabions along the river, a guardroom, washrooms, an amphitheatre, a permanent bridge, and extensive landscaping.

Today, a plaque at the entrance proclaims: "The rehabilitation of Hon John N. Michuki Memorial Park is part of the national government initiative to create green spaces within urban areas as a way of sequestrating carbon and providing relaxation and recreational spaces for residents."