Kenyan Tour guides last week visited the Nairobi National park to uproot invasive weeds and collect plastic bags.
The guides called on the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) to ensure there is no dumping of waste in rivers flowing through the park.
They also complained that several residential houses in Rongai are dumping solid waste in the park.
The Nairobi National Park is the only natural Park in a City in the world.
According conservationists, the Park is important to the city since it purifies the air and bio-filtration of rivers that run through it.
To the North West of the Park is Ongata Rongai Township, where several rivers pass through before flowing through the park.
The Nairobi National park is also an important educational resource where many students, Kenyans and even researchers learn from.
It is also an important entry point to tourism for many people, with the Animal Orphanage, Safari Walk and Park providing many with an opportunity to see wild animals for the first time.
Like many of our other parks, it is a refreshing and therapeutic beauty.
“As guides, we recognize that we are key custodians of Mother Nature and we need to protect her. We also need to raise awareness and teach the public on how to protect her for posterity,” Sande added.
The guides added that if they sit back and let invasive weed species and litter choke the environment, animals will have no food.
“They will migrate out of the parks and we will have higher Human-Wildlife Conflict,” they said.
The cleanup was in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service.
They also appealed to park visitors to observe park rules.
The guides cautioned against noise pollution since it disturbs animals.
“We ask the Government to utilize our rich knowledge and expertise in conservation and protection of our parks and reserves especially at these hard times. As the president bails out tourism entities, we appeal to him to remember the approximately 5,500 guides who have been hardest hit since February,” Sande said.
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