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1907
– 2007: 100
years of Nairobi Arboretum
The birth of Nairobi as a city is the result of the railway construction
by the British. Halfway on the route from the coast to Lake Victoria,
the railway engineers found a swampy place, named by the Masai as
‘Enkare Neerobi’- place of cool waters. The Chief Engineer
of the Railways decided that this was a suitable place to build
railway repair yards and workshops. Soon a tent city of traders,
adventurers and settlers grew.
The railway was also the direct reason for a more organised forest
management in Kenya. Railway engines ran on steam, generated from
burning logs. A large supply of wood was needed daily until 1952
when diesel oil replaced fire wood. Foresters noted early that indigenous
trees grew slowly and suggested the planting of quick growing exotic
softwoods to meet the demand. Nobody knew if such exotics could
thrive in Kenya. Several sites were selected for trials. One of
these sites was the current Arboretum, next to the Governors Residence
(now State House).
In
1907, the Assistant Conservator was allocated sixty five acres on
‘a dry, stony, grass-covered slope with a few scattered flat-topped
thorn trees’ – the site of the present Arboretum. He
set up the wood trials with seed brought from all over the world:
Australia, Mexico, India, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Under Mr. H.M Gardner (Chief Conservator of Forests from 1928 –
1947) the policy of ‘making as complete a collection as possible
of indigenous shrubs and trees’ was pursued and he extended
greatly the collection of ornamental exotics. He made a complete
design of the Arboretum and new plants were introduced each year
for a long time. Mr Gardner and all subsequent CCF have continued
to live in the stone house next to the Arboretum entrance, until
1997. This house is now the Tree Centre, hosting an education and
information centre and FONA office.
After
the independence of Kenya the Arboretum had little priority of Forest
Department. From the 1970’s on the place was quite neglected
when management levels declined due to inadequate government funding.
This led to a situation that in 1993 the Arboretum was run down
and much in need of renovations. A group of concerned citizens recognized
the potential and importance of the Arboretum and established the
Friends of Nairobi Arboretum - FONA. FONA became a project of Nature
Kenya and started looking for local and international donors to
save the Arboretum. An overall master plan to renovate and upgrade
the Arboretum was launched in the year 2000 by the PS of the Ministry
of Environment and Natural Resources.
Meanwhile the public has found its way to the unique place that
the now 100 year old Arboretum is. In the middle of Nairobi city
it provides a green space, for recreation and for education on nature
and environment. It is visited by thousands of Nairobi’s citizens,
as well as by tourists. They do sports, come for singing, praying
or just to relax.
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